Free Image to Text Converter (OCR): Photos, Scans, PDFs
Copy text from screenshots, photos and scanned PDFs in English, Korean, Spanish, Japanese and more.
Everything you already do here stays free, with the same limits.
Your files never leave your device. The text is read in your browser, so nothing is uploaded to a server.
What this tool does
To copy the text out of a screenshot, photo or scanned PDF for free, drop it above, pick the language and press Extract text: the text appears ready to copy, with no sign-up. It finds the text in an image or a scanned PDF and turns it into plain text you can copy, edit and save as a .txt file. This is called OCR (optical character recognition). Use it for screenshots, photos of documents, receipts, slides, book pages and PDFs that were scanned as pictures.
How to use it
- Drop your images or PDFs into the box above, or click it to choose them.
- Tick the language of the text. English is ticked already. For a page that mixes languages, tick both.
- Press Extract text. Each file shows its progress, and the text appears in a box under it.
- Fix anything you need right in the box, then press Copy or Download .txt. For several files, use Copy all or Download all.
Which layout to pick
| What you have | Page layout |
|---|---|
| Documents, letters, receipts, screenshots, book pages | Lines and paragraphs |
| Newspapers, brochures and other pages with side-by-side columns | Several columns |
| A paragraph or a cropped part of a page | One block of text |
| Signs, posters, slides, memes, labels | Scattered text |
Start with Lines and paragraphs. It is the most reliable choice for Korean, Japanese and Chinese, which can lose words when the reader tries to split the page into columns. Switch to Several columns only when the page really has columns and the text comes out mixed up.
Tips for better results
- Crop to the part you need. Less clutter around the text means fewer mistakes.
- Take photos straight on, in good light, and hold still. Tilted and blurry pages are the main cause of wrong characters.
- For a PDF with small print, keep the scan quality at 300 DPI. Use 200 DPI when the text is large and you want it faster.
- Only tick the languages that are really on the page. Extra languages slow the reader down and can swap similar-looking letters.
- If the PDF already lets you select the text in your reader, you can copy it there directly. This tool is for pages that are pictures.
- Need the pages of a PDF as images instead? Use our free PDF to JPG converter.
Free, Pro and Pro+
| Free | Pro | Pro+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Files per batch | 10 | 200 | 200 |
| Size per batch | 100 MB | 500 MB | 500 MB |
| PDF pages per run | 30 | 300 | 300 |
| Download all as one ZIP of .txt files | — | Yes | Yes |
| Saved presets | — | Yes | Yes |
| Custom file names | — | Yes | Yes |
| Result quality | The same on every plan | ||
| Server tools paid with credits | With a credit pack | With a credit pack | 300 credits every month |
Pro+ credits pay for server tools: fast speech to text and fast auto subtitles. A credit pack (150 credits, valid for 12 months) works on any plan. Compare plans.
Use this in your workflow
- The Three Documents You Signed Without ReadingPhotographed a lease or warranty? Paste the text into these free prompts to find the terms that cost you money.
- Stop Typing, Start Asking (playbook)One-page prompts for turning long documents into plain language, plus bills, refunds and other admin.
Frequently asked questions
How do I copy text from a screenshot?
Drop the screenshot above, choose its language and press Extract text. The text appears in a box where you can fix any mistakes, copy it or save it as a .txt file.
Can I convert a scanned PDF to text for free?
Yes. The free version reads up to 30 PDF pages in one run, and each page in the result starts with its page number.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. The text is read inside your browser, on your own device. Your images and PDFs are not sent to our servers or anyone else, so it also works for private documents.
Why does the first run take longer?
The first time you use a language, your browser downloads the reader and that language's data (about 1 to 3 MB each). It is kept in your browser, so the next runs start right away.
Which languages can it read?
English, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese (simplified). You can tick up to three at once for pages that mix languages, such as Korean with English words.
Does it keep the line breaks?
Yes. Each line in the picture becomes a line in the text, and paragraphs stay separated. For a multi-page PDF, each page starts with its page number.
How accurate is it?
On clear printed text, such as screenshots, documents and scans, almost every character comes out right. Handwriting, very small print, blurry photos and text on busy backgrounds are much harder, so always check the result before you use it.
Can I edit the text before saving it?
Yes. The text box under each file is editable. Copy and Download use whatever is in the box.
Are there limits?
The free version reads up to 10 files and 100 MB at once, and up to 30 PDF pages in one run. Avalon Pro reads up to 200 files and 300 PDF pages in one run and adds a ZIP download, saved presets and your own file names.