Scanned PDF to Text
Convert a scanned PDF into editable text using OCR — runs in your browser.
Turn a paper document into editable text — no typing required
Got a scanned contract, a photographed receipt, a printed form you need to quote, or a PDF downloaded from a government site that doesn't let you select text? This tool reads your scanned PDF and hands back the words as plain text you can edit, copy, search, and paste anywhere — all without leaving your browser.
What you can do with the extracted text
- Paste directly into Word, Google Docs, or Notion for editing
- Copy a clause from a scanned contract into an email or legal filing
- Extract details from a printed form to fill a digital version
- Feed text into a translation tool, summariser, or AI assistant
- Search inside documents that were never meant to be digital
What affects text quality
Scan quality matters most. Documents scanned at 150 DPI or higher with good contrast give 95%+ accurate text. Very low-resolution phone photos, skewed pages, or faded ink will produce more errors — straighten the scan and increase brightness before uploading for best results. For keeping the original PDF appearance while adding search, use Make PDF Searchable.
How to use this tool
- Upload your scanned PDF.
- Wait for OCR to process each page (a few seconds per page).
- Copy the text from the preview pane or download the full output as a .txt file.
Frequently asked questions
Does it handle handwritten text?
Printed text is recognised well. Handwriting recognition is limited — Tesseract was built for printed fonts. For handwriting, accuracy varies widely depending on how neat it is.
My PDF is 20 pages — does it process all of them?
Yes. All pages are processed in sequence and joined into one text output. Larger PDFs take longer — allow 10–30 seconds for a 20-page scan.
The text has errors — how do I improve accuracy?
Ensure your scan is 150 DPI+, well-lit, and not skewed. If you photographed the document, try to flatten the page and avoid shadows before re-scanning.
Is this different from OCR PDF?
Same underlying engine (Tesseract), same output (plain text file). The pages are written for different searches — both work identically.
Is my scanned document sent to a server?
No — processing runs entirely in your browser. Your documents are never uploaded or stored.