How to scan text from a PDF for free?

Upload the PDF here (up to 30 pages). ScanText OCRs each page and combines the text.

Scanned PDF vs normal PDF?

Scanned pages are images — OCR reads them. Digital text PDFs are faster.

Copy text from secured PDF?

If you can open the PDF in a viewer, try upload. Password-protected files may fail.

No — OCR runs entirely in your browser; the PDF is never uploaded.

What do you need?

PDF to Text (OCR)

Processed entirely on your device · your files are never uploaded

Drop files here

One or many images or PDFs — we pick the right tool · Ctrl+V to paste

Upload or paste above — extracted text will appear here

Processed entirely on your device · your files are never uploaded

1Upload or paste a file
2We extract the text
3Copy or download the result

About this tool

PDF OCR is for anyone who searches scan text from PDF, extract text from scanned PDF, or copy text from PDF image online. ScanText at scantext.net reads up to 30 pages in one run and merges them into a single block you can copy or export as TXT or DOCX — free, no desktop install. Scanned PDFs (photos of pages) use OCR; digital PDFs with selectable text extract faster. Unlike tools that force Pro subscriptions for multi-page OCR, ScanText keeps the core flow free. All processing happens in your browser, which keeps contracts and tax PDFs on your device. Whether your PDF is lecture notes, an invoice, or a signed contract in Arabic or English, this page is the direct answer to how do I get text out of a PDF without retyping.

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Frequently asked questions

: Upload the PDF here (up to 30 pages). ScanText OCRs each page and combines the text.

About this tool

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Frequently asked questions