OCR PDF

Files stay in your browser 100 MB per file LimitDocument Tools#Essential#PDF

Read the text of a scanned or image-only PDF in English, Hindi, Spanish, French or German and save it as a .txt file.

Convert

OCR scan

Read the text of scanned or image-only PDFs and save it as a .txt file.

Each file on its own

Drop PDFs to start

PDF files · up to 100 MB each · or paste with Ctrl+V

Language

The first run downloads the OCR engine and language data (a few MB) from the jsDelivr CDN. Your PDF stays on this device.

Add a PDF to use this tool.

How to use, limits & privacy

About OCR PDF

Read the text of a scanned or photographed PDF with OCR (optical character recognition) and save it as a plain .txt file you can copy, search and edit. Choose English, Hindi, Spanish, French or German. Each page is rendered at high resolution and read on your own device, and a "--- Page n ---" line marks where each page starts. The result is a text file, not a searchable PDF, and layout, tables and images are not kept.

How to Use

Add your scanned PDF

Drop one or more PDFs on the page, paste them with Ctrl+V, or click Choose PDFs. Several PDFs are read one after another.

Choose the language

Under Language, pick English, Spanish, French, German or Hindi: the main language of the document. Each run reads one language.

Run OCR

Press Run OCR. The first time, the OCR engine and language data (a few MB) download from the jsDelivr CDN; then each page is read in turn while the progress bar shows which one.

Download the text

Click Download to save the file named like report-ocr.txt, or Download all (ZIP) for several PDFs.

Privacy & Processing

Mode: hybrid
Files Leave Browser: Selected data may be sent to a service or peer
Max Input Size: 100 MB per file
Account Required: No
Data Stored Locally: Your files and the text are not saved. The browser caches the OCR engine and language data after the first download.
Network Processing: Required for connected features

Your PDF is read in your browser and is never uploaded. The OCR engine and language data are downloaded from the jsDelivr CDN on first use.

Rules & Limitations

The first run needs an internet connection to download the OCR engine and language data from jsDelivr; your browser keeps them for next time. Your PDF itself is never sent.
The output is a .txt file with page markers, not a searchable PDF or a Word file. Layout, columns and tables are lost.
One language per run. Clear, straight, well-lit scans give the best results; handwriting and faint or skewed pages are often misread.
Each page can take a few seconds or more, longer on phones. A PDF that needs a password to open cannot be read. Up to 100 MB per PDF.

Top Suggestions

Getting the text out of a scanned government circular or notice in Hindi
Copying text from a scanned book chapter or old question paper into your notes
Making a scanned rent agreement or affidavit searchable so you can quote from it
Turning a photographed letter into text you can edit

OCR PDF FAQ

How do I convert a scanned PDF to text?

Add the scanned PDF, choose its language under Language and press Run OCR. When it finishes, click Download to save the recognised text as a .txt file.

Can I OCR a Hindi PDF?

Yes. Choose Hindi under Language and the Devanagari text is read and saved as Unicode text, which you can paste into Word, Google Docs or WhatsApp. For a document that is mostly English, choose English.

Does OCR make my PDF searchable?

No. This tool does not change the PDF; it saves the recognised text as a separate .txt file. You can search and copy that text file instead.

Why does OCR need an internet connection?

The OCR engine and language data are downloaded from the jsDelivr CDN the first time you run it, and your browser keeps them afterwards. Only those files are fetched: your PDF is read on your device.

Why does the OCR text have mistakes?

OCR guesses each letter from the picture, so blurry, tilted, low-resolution or handwritten pages give more errors. Check that the right language is chosen, and for best results use a clear, straight scan.

Is my scanned document uploaded for OCR?

No. Every page is read by the OCR engine running in your browser, so the document stays on your device and nothing is stored after you leave.