PDF to text converter that also reads scanned pages
Open your PDF and press Extract text. Scanned pages are read automatically with OCR.
Last reviewed: October 9, 2026Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter or open is uploaded.
The short answer
Open a PDF on this page and press Extract text. Pages with a text layer are read directly and exactly; scanned pages (images) are read automatically with OCR in English, Spanish or French. Copy the result or save it as a .txt file. Everything runs on your device, so the PDF is never uploaded.
How it is calculated
PDFs hold two kinds of pages. Text pages (made on a computer) carry their text, which is read directly with perfect accuracy. Image pages (scanned or photographed) carry no text, so we render them at high resolution and read them with OCR.
Each page is checked: if it has almost no text layer, it is treated as a scan.
Worked example
Press "Try a sample file" and the tool builds a two-page PDF:
- Page 1 was typed on a computer, so its text is read instantly.
- Page 2 is a scanned image, so the scan reader loads once and reads it.
- The full text appears with page numbers, plus a count of pages read each way.
Text layer: 1 · Scanned (OCR): 1, ready to copy.
Quick reference table
| File | How it is read | Expected accuracy | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typed on a computer (Word export, reports) | Text layer | Exact | Instant |
| Scanned on a scanner | OCR | 98–100% for clear print | Seconds per page |
| Phone photos saved as PDF | OCR | Lower with tilt and shadows | Seconds per page |
| Handwriting | Not supported | Poor | — |
Special cases and common mistakes
- Garbled text? Some PDFs use odd font encodings. Choose "Read every page as an image" to read what you see instead.
- Tables come out line by line, so columns become words on the same line.
- Need only part of a long file? Type pages like 1-3, 7.
- Privacy: nothing is uploaded. The scan reader downloads once, only when a scanned page needs it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I copy text from a scanned PDF?
Open it here and press Extract text. Scanned pages are detected and read with OCR, then you can copy everything at once.
Can I convert a PDF to text without uploading it?
Yes. The PDF is opened and read inside your browser and never sent to a server.
Does this convert PDF to Word?
It gives you clean text to paste into Word or Google Docs, but it does not keep layout, tables or images.
Why is the text from my PDF jumbled?
Some PDFs store characters in display order or with custom encodings. Switch to "Read every page as an image" to read the page visually.
Sources
- PDF.js by Mozilla: reads the text layer of the PDF in your browser (Last reviewed: October 9, 2026)
- Tesseract.js: reads scanned pages (OCR) in your browser (Last reviewed: October 9, 2026)
- Unicode Standard Annex #15: normalization forms (NFKC) (Last reviewed: October 9, 2026)