Extract Text from PDF
Pull text from any PDF — whether it was scanned, photographed, or created digitally. The tool automatically detects whether each page has a native text layer. If it does, text is extracted instantly. If not, OCR runs locally. Your file never leaves your browser.
Instant for Digital PDFs, OCR for Scanned Ones
Digital PDFs already contain selectable text — the tool extracts it in milliseconds, no OCR needed. Scanned PDFs (where pages are images) go through browser-based OCR. Mixed PDFs? The tool handles each page correctly — instant for digital pages, OCR for scanned pages. All text is combined into one result.
How to Extract Text from a PDF
- 1 Drop your PDF
Any PDF works: scanned, digital, or mixed. The tool detects the type automatically.
- 2 Text is extracted or OCR-processed
Digital pages are done in seconds. Scanned pages show live OCR progress per page.
- 3 Copy all text in one click
All pages are combined into one copyable result with page markers for multi-page documents.
Common PDF Text Extraction Uses
Research Papers
Copy citations, abstracts, or passages from academic PDFs — scanned or digital.
Forms & Reports
Extract filled-in form fields or report data from any PDF format.
Archived Documents
Digitize scanned archives — the tool handles both old image-only and newer text-layer PDFs.
Business Documents
Pull text from contracts, invoices, and correspondence without copy/paste restrictions.
Tips for Extracting PDF Text
- Try selecting text first: If you can highlight text in your PDF viewer, it is digital — extraction is instant here
- 300+ DPI for scanned PDFs: Higher resolution scans give OCR more detail to work with
- Avoid compressed JPEG scans: Heavy JPEG compression degrades text edges and reduces OCR accuracy
- One page per image: Scanned pages that are straight and fill the frame extract the most accurately
Ready to extract text from your PDF?
Open the OCR Tool →