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OCR PDF Online (Scanned PDF to Text)

Run real OCR on scanned PDF pages to extract their text — free and entirely private.

Runs entirely in your browser — your files are never uploaded to a server.

Last updated

This tool processes your file entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Nothing is uploaded to our servers.

How It Works

1. Choose Your File

Drag & drop or select the file you want to work with.

2. Processed in Your Browser

Everything happens locally on your device — your file is never uploaded anywhere.

3. Download Your Result

Get your finished file instantly, ready to save or share.

About OCR PDF Online (Scanned PDF to Text)

Unlike regular PDF to Text (which reads an existing text layer instantly), this tool is specifically for scanned PDFs with no text layer at all — each page is rendered as an image, then OCR runs on it individually.

This is genuinely slower than text-layer extraction, since real recognition work happens on every page rather than reading data that already exists. Works well under roughly 20 pages; longer documents take proportionally longer and may strain browser memory.

If you’re unsure whether your PDF needs this or the faster PDF to Text tool, try that one first — it will return no text if OCR is actually needed, telling you which tool applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I OCR a PDF?

Upload your scanned PDF, pick the language, and click Start OCR. The tool renders each page and reads the text with an OCR engine inside your browser, then shows all pages in one text box. Copy it or download a TXT file.

How do I OCR a PDF for free?

This OCR tool is free and needs no account. It runs on your own device, so there are no per-page fees or uploads. The first run downloads the OCR engine and English data, and other languages are fetched only when you select them.

Does OCR PDF create a searchable PDF?

No. The output is a plain text file with a marker for each page, not a PDF with an invisible text layer. If you need the extracted words to stay inside a PDF, this tool cannot do that yet.

How many pages can I OCR at once, and which languages work?

It supports English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese. Under about 20 pages works well; longer files still run but take proportionally longer and may hit your browser's memory limit. Processing is local, so speed depends on your device.

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