Extract text from a scanned PDF
Scans become text you can copy and search, without the document leaving your device.
Drop files here
or click to choose from your deviceAccepted: PDF
Up to 3 files per runUp to 20 MB per file10 runs per dayRemove limits with Pro✓ Works offline
Your files stay on your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and you can even turn off your internet connection before you start.
How it works
- Drop a PDF: a scan, a photographed document saved as PDF, or any PDF you want the text of.
- Leave Pages empty to read the whole file, or enter pages such as 1-3, 5. Up to 20 scanned pages are read per run.
- Press Extract text. The first time, the text recognition models and their runtime (about 11 MB) are downloaded.
- Copy the text from the box or download it as a .txt file. Pages are marked --- 1 ---, --- 2 --- and so on.
Frequently asked questions
- Does it make the PDF searchable?
- This page gives you the text. To keep the PDF and make it searchable, use Make PDF searchable, which adds the same recognised text as an invisible layer over each scanned page.
- What happens to pages that already have text?
- Their text is taken straight from the PDF, which is instant and exact. Only pages without usable text, such as scans, go through text recognition.
- Why only 20 scanned pages at a time?
- Reading a page takes several seconds and a lot of memory in the browser. For a longer scan, enter the pages in batches, such as 1-20 and then 21-40.
- Which documents work?
- Printed Japanese, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Turkish. Japanese can be horizontal or vertical; vertical pages are recognised automatically and are a little less accurate, with 、 and 。 sometimes left out. In Turkish, ı and İ are sometimes read as i or I. Handwriting is not read reliably, and horizontal pages set in several columns can come out with the columns mixed.
- Is my PDF uploaded?
- No. Pages are rendered and read in your browser. The free plan handles 1 PDF per run, up to 20 MB, and 10 runs per day.
Made for a specific use
Related tools
¶ Make PDF searchable The same pages, now with text you can find and copy, made on your own device. ▣ PDF to JPG Export each page as an image you can drop into a slide, a chat or a website. ⋈ Split PDF Cut one PDF into several files by page ranges, one file per page, or parts under a size limit. ▦ Organize PDF pages Delete, reorder and rotate pages visually, all in one go, without sending the document anywhere.