Treeet
How to use Scanned PDF to text (OCR)
- 01Add PDFsChoose files or drop them on the page.
- 02Done on your deviceNothing is uploaded. Adjust settings if you like.
- 03DownloadSave the result, or everything as one ZIP.
For PDFs that are really pictures.
A scanned PDF holds images of pages, so its text can’t be selected or copied. OCR reads each page and gives you the text.
Use this PDF OCR tool when a scanned PDF won’t let you select or copy its text. It reads every page as a picture and gives you the words as a text file or an editable Word document, which also makes it a way to turn a scanned PDF into Word. The OCR runs in your browser, so the document is never uploaded.
How to get text from a scanned PDF
- Choose the Language of the document in the settings panel.
- Click Choose files or drop the scanned PDF onto the page.
- Each page is read in turn, and the progress shows how far it’s got. The first run downloads the text reader, so it starts a little slower.
- Click Save to download the .txt or .docx file.
Do you need OCR? A quick test
Open the PDF and try to select a word, or search for one with Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac). If the word highlights or is found, the PDF already has text. PDF to TXT and PDF to Word are faster for those files and copy the text exactly, with no recognition mistakes.
If nothing can be selected, the PDF holds pictures of pages, which is what scanners, phone scanning apps and fax machines usually make. That’s the job for this tool.
What the settings do
- Language. English, Urdu + English, Hindi + English, Arabic + English, Spanish, Portuguese or Indonesian. Choose the language the document is written in; the combined settings read both scripts.
- Layout. Auto (finds columns) suits letters, reports and articles, and keeps columns apart. Line by line (receipts, tables) reads each page line after line and keeps the spaces between words, which helps with statements, invoices and price lists where a label and an amount share a line.
- Save as. Text file (.txt) marks each page with a line such as “----- Page 2 -----”. Word document (.docx) starts every page on a new page in Word, and Arabic and Urdu text is set right to left.
How it works and what to expect
Every page is drawn at 300 dpi, a good resolution for OCR, and read one at a time. Very large pages are drawn smaller to save memory. All pages are read, so long documents take a while. To read only part of a file, cut it down first with Extract PDF pages.
The text reader downloads once, about 1 MB plus 1 to 3 MB of data for each language, and is kept by your browser for next time.
The result holds the words only. Fonts, bold, pictures and table borders aren’t kept, and the scan itself isn’t changed. This tool doesn’t add a text layer to the PDF, so the result isn’t a searchable PDF.
Limits and common problems
- Handwriting isn’t read reliably. The tool is made for printed and typed text.
- A page scanned sideways or upside down isn’t corrected. Turn it the right way with Rotate PDF, then run the OCR.
- You see a note that some words may be wrong. The scan is blurry, small or faint. Rescan at a higher resolution if you can, and always check names, dates and amounts.
- “Some pages had no text we could read” usually means blank pages or pages with only photos.
- The PDF is password-protected. Remove the password with Unlock PDF first.
At a glance
- Price
- Free. No sign-up, no watermark.
- Privacy
- Files are processed in your browser and never uploaded.
- Accepts
- You get
- TXT
- Batch
- Convert many files at once and download them as a ZIP
- Works in
- Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, on phones and computers
- Offline
- After the first conversion, it keeps working without internet
Questions
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser, so your PDF never leaves your device.
My PDF already has selectable text. Do I need this?
No. Use PDF to TXT or PDF to Word instead; they are faster and keep the exact text.
Is there a size limit?
Only your device’s memory. Long documents take a little longer.
Can I convert a scanned PDF to Word?
Yes. Set Save as to Word document (.docx). You get the text with one Word page per PDF page, ready to edit, though not the original layout.
Can I make a searchable PDF?
Not directly. This tool gives you text or Word. If you need a PDF with real text, save as Word and convert that file with Word to PDF; it won’t look like the scan, but the text can be searched.
Can it read a scanned bank statement?
It can read the text, and Line by line keeps each row together. Bank statement to CSV needs a PDF with real text, so for a scan you’ll get text to tidy up rather than ready columns.
How accurate is it?
Clean, straight printed scans come out with few mistakes. Accuracy drops with blur, low resolution, unusual fonts and stamps over the text.