OCR PDF: Extract Text from a Scanned PDF

OCR PDF is a free tool that runs entirely in your browser, with no data ever sent to a server. Extract text from a scanned PDF through optical character recognition.

What it's for

Recover the text of a scanned or photographed document to copy, edit, or search it, since a PDF produced by a scanner often contains nothing but images of pages.

What this tool does not do

This tool does not support password-protected PDFs and only recognizes one language at a time per pass. The original layout (columns, tables) is not reconstructed: only plain text is extracted.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a language file download on first launch?

The character recognition model (several megabytes per language) is hosted on this site and loaded once by your browser, which then keeps it cached. No data from your document is ever sent anywhere: only this model is downloaded, from the site to your browser.

Is the result 100% reliable?

No: character recognition depends on the scan's quality. A sharp, well-contrasted document gives a much better result than a blurry or tilted photo.

Are my files sent to a server?

No: processing happens entirely in your browser, on your device. No file is ever transmitted to a server, at any point.