Free Online OCR – Image to Text Converter
Turn photos, screenshots and scanned PDF pages into text you can edit. Paste a screenshot or add up to 20 images, then copy or download.
Free · No sign-up · No upload: your files are read in your browser
Add Images or a PDF
Options: language, image treatment, page layout
Changed an option? Click Extract Text again.
What Does the Free Online OCR Tool Do?
PDFdukan's free online OCR image to text converter reads the words in a photo, screenshot or scanned PDF. It turns them into text you can edit. Tesseract OCR runs inside your browser, so your files are never uploaded. Copy the text or save it as TXT or Word.
OCR means optical character recognition. The tool finds letter shapes in the picture and turns them into characters you can search, edit and paste into an email or document.
You can extract text from image online free in 37 languages, including Spanish, Urdu, Arabic and Hindi, plus mixed English + Urdu pages. Each result shows a confidence estimate, a word count and a character count.
How Do I Extract Text From an Image?
Getting text out of an image takes five steps:
- Set the language. If the text isn't English, open Options and pick the Document language, such as English + Urdu.
- Add your files. Tap Choose Files, drop images or a PDF, or press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac) to paste a screenshot.
- Match the layout. Simple two-column pages are read left column first on their own; if a newsletter's columns still mix, choose Two or more columns in Options and tap Re-extract.
- Wait a moment. Reading starts by itself; the first run downloads the OCR engine and takes longer.
- Check and save. Compare the text with the page shown beside it, fix any mistakes, then tap Copy or Export to save a Word or TXT file.
What Can This Free Online OCR Image to Text Converter Do?
These features cover most jobs, from one screenshot to a short scanned report:
Paste a screenshot
Convert screenshot to text online without saving a file first. Copy the screen, then press Ctrl+V on this page.
Read up to 20 images
Add up to 20 images in one run. Each file gets its own labeled section in the result.
Open scanned PDFs
Add one PDF and read up to 50 pages per run. Type a range such as 2-6 to read only those pages.
Split columns
Two or more columns reads a two-column page left to right instead of mixing the lines.
Read JPG and more
Use it as a JPG to text converter online. PNG, WebP, GIF and BMP work too, and small images are enlarged first.
Keep right-to-left text
Urdu, Arabic, Persian and Hebrew results show right to left, and the Word file keeps that direction.
Which Files and Settings Does the OCR Support?
Here is what you can add, what you can change and what you get back:
| Item | Details | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Images | JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP | 30 MB and 40 megapixels each |
| Scanned or image-only PDF | One file, 100 MB, 50 pages per run | |
| Languages | 37 languages plus 3 mixed options | Pick one per run |
| Image treatment | Original pixels, Document contrast, Grayscale | Original works best for most files |
| Output | Editable text, TXT, Word (DOCX) | Up to 20 images per run |
Who Uses an Image to Text Converter?
Common jobs we built this tool for:
- Students copying a quote from a textbook photo or lecture slide.
- Office staff typing up a receipt for an expense report.
- Shoppers grabbing a tracking number from an order screenshot.
- Renters pulling dates and amounts from a photographed lease.
- Families turning old printed letters into searchable text.
How Do I Get Accurate OCR Results?
Take the photo straight above the page in good light. Blur and shadows cause more errors than anything else. Crop away the table or background first if you can.
Pick the real language of the text, because Tesseract reads each script with its own model. Use Sparse text / screenshot for app screens with scattered labels.
When we tested six images, a phone photo of a lease, a receipt and a dim meeting note came back with almost no errors. A two-column page was only readable with Two or more columns.
Try Document contrast for faded paper, but compare it with Original pixels, because extra contrast can also hide thin strokes.
Are My Images Uploaded to a Server?
No. The OCR runs in your browser tab with Tesseract.js, so your images and PDFs stay on your device. The OCR code and language files are downloaded from a public CDN the first time you use a language.
Many free OCR sites send your file to their server and delete it later. Here there is nothing to delete, which matters for bank statements or medical forms. The page still loads analytics and ads.
What Can’t This OCR Tool Do?
Handwriting is not read reliably, because Tesseract is built for printed text. The tool gives you plain text, not a searchable PDF or an Excel table, and tables lose their grid.
Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first with Unlock PDF. HEIC and TIFF files are not accepted yet, so save them as JPG or PNG first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. PDFdukan’s OCR is free, needs no account and adds no watermark. Nothing is sold or unlocked later.
Add the JPG and reading starts by itself. The text appears in an editable box that you can copy or download.
Yes. Take the screenshot, then press Ctrl+V on this page, or Cmd+V on a Mac. The image is added without saving a file.
Yes. Add one PDF and the tool reads each page as an image, up to 50 pages per run. Text you can already select is read again from the image.
Only neat block letters, and not reliably. Tesseract is trained on printed text, so check every word of handwritten notes.
Yes. Choose Urdu, Arabic or English + Urdu. In our Urdu test the result was close, but joined words still needed small fixes.
The image may be blurry, too small, or set to the wrong language or layout. Retake the photo, pick the right language, or try Two or more columns.
Up to 20 images per run, or one PDF with up to 50 pages. For more, simply run the tool again, because there is no daily or hourly cap.
Yes. The tool runs in Safari on iPhone and Chrome on Android. Take a photo with your camera and add it from your gallery.