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Choose a PDF
Select a PDF up to 40 MB. The browser checks its page count and whether it already contains selectable text.
Scanned PDF OCR
PDF OCR — Convert Scanned PDF to Text Online Free
Extract editable text from scanned or image-based PDF documents without sending the file to a server. Umi OCR processes up to 40 pages locally in your browser.
Scanned PDF to textNative text detectionUp to 40 pagesDownload TXT
Selected file
Small prioritizes accuracy. Tiny is faster with a smaller download; use Small for Japanese or to recheck important text. Models are saved for future visits when browser storage is available.
Extracted Text
Files are processed locally in your browser. Images, PDFs, and extracted text are not uploaded to Umiocr.
About This Tool
PDF OCR — Convert Scanned PDF to Text Online Free: fast, private, and ready to use
A PDF can contain real text, page images, or a combination of both. When text is selectable, it can usually be extracted directly. When a scanner or camera created the document, each page behaves like a picture and needs optical character recognition. This OCR PDF to text tool inspects the document and chooses the appropriate local extraction path.
For scanned pages, the browser renders each page and runs OCR against the rendered image. For text-based PDFs, it reads the existing text layer instead. The result is assembled with page separators, making it easier to review long documents and trace a passage back to its original page.
The PDF never needs to leave your device. That matters for contracts, financial records, academic scans, medical documents, and internal reports. Processing speed depends on the number of pages, image resolution, document complexity, and the available memory and CPU on your device.
Quick Guide
How to use this free OCR tool
Go from a local file to editable text in three steps.
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Extract or recognize
Text PDFs are read directly; scanned pages are rendered and processed with OCR locally on your device.
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Review page-aware text
Edit the combined output, copy it, or download a TXT file with clear page separators.
OCR Details
Built for practical text extraction
Scanned PDF recognition
Image-only pages are rendered for recognition so printed text can be recovered from old scans, photocopies, and camera-created PDFs.
Direct text extraction
When a usable text layer exists, the tool avoids unnecessary OCR and reads the original characters directly for a faster result.
Local document processing
The selected PDF and extracted content stay in your browser. There is no document upload, account, watermark, or daily quota.
Common ways to use this OCR converter
- Recover text from a scanned contract or archived report
- Copy passages from a PDF that does not allow text selection
- Turn research scans into searchable notes
- Extract multilingual text from image-based PDF pages
- Create a plain-text version for summarization or indexing
- Check whether a PDF contains a real text layer
Keep Exploring
Related OCR tools and guides
Image to Text Converter
Convert individual photos, scans, PNG, JPG, WebP, and BMP images to text.
Open page →Scanned PDF Guide
Compare PDF OCR methods and learn how to prepare difficult scans.
Open page →How Browser OCR Works
See how WebAssembly can recognize documents locally without an upload.
Open page → FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can OCR convert a scanned PDF to text?
Yes. A scanned PDF stores each page as an image, so OCR is needed to recognize its words. This tool renders the pages locally and returns page-aware editable text.
What happens if my PDF already contains selectable text?
Umi OCR checks the document first. When it finds a usable text layer, it extracts that text directly instead of running image recognition on every page. This is faster and preserves the existing characters more accurately.
How many PDF pages can I process?
The browser tool processes up to the first 40 pages of a PDF and accepts files up to 40 MB. The limit protects browsers and mobile devices from running out of memory during page rendering.
Is the PDF uploaded to a server?
No. PDF inspection, page rendering, text extraction, and OCR run inside your browser. Umiocr does not receive or store the PDF or the resulting text.
Does this create a searchable PDF?
No. This page extracts the text so you can edit, copy, or download it as TXT. It does not add an invisible text layer back into the original PDF.