Can scanned image to text process an existing scanned PDF?

This uploader is for image files. Use PDF to Text when your scan is already packaged as a PDF document.

What scan resolution should I start with for OCR?

Use a scan where small printed characters remain distinct when viewed normally. Increasing resolution cannot restore detail already missing from a poor original.

How do stamps or handwritten annotations affect scan OCR?

Marks crossing printed lines can obscure words or enter the result in the wrong place. Compare those regions manually with the source page.

Will OCR preserve the scan as a searchable page image?

This page produces editable text. Use Image to Searchable PDF if you want the visible scan and a recognized text layer in one document.

How do I convert a scanned page to Word?

Choose Word (.docx) under Download as and select See result, signing in first if the button asks you to. The recognized paragraphs go into a new document built from a fresh read of the scan, so corrections typed in the box are not in it. Check fonts and spacing in Word afterward, because the file is built from the text rather than from the look of the scan.

Can I convert a multi-page scan to text in one go?

Each image is read separately, so a multi-page scan does not become one file. Batch mode, a Premium feature, reads many images in one run and returns a ZIP with one text file per page for you to join in order. For a scan saved as a PDF, PDF to Text reads the pages directly.

Can I upload a TIFF file from my scanner?

Yes. TIFF is accepted together with JPG, PNG, WEBP and HEIC, so a scanner's TIFF output can be uploaded as it is. Set the scanner to save each page as its own file, so every page gets its own run and its own text.

Can I convert a scanned table to Excel instead of plain text?

Yes, with a table reader rather than this page. Table Image to Excel puts a scanned table into a worksheet you review before export, and Table Image to CSV gives comma-separated rows. This page returns the words as lines of text, not as separate cells.

Image to Text

Scanned Image to Text — OCR Printed Page Images

Choose your image

Choose a readable scanned page image, such as PNG, JPG or TIFF

Recover editable text from a scanned document image. Set the source language and review skewed lines, column order and page noise before exporting TXT.

Older paper correspondence
Searchable text notes from printed material

Upload your image

Choose a readable scanned page image, such as PNG, JPG or TIFF

All image formats (JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC, TIFF…)

Scan document to editable text with OCR, page by page

This scanned image to text tool is an online OCR text scanner: it reads an image of a page and returns text you can edit, search and reuse. Scan with a flatbed scanner or a phone scanning app, save each page as a PNG, JPG or TIFF, and upload it here. There is no OCR program to install, and you can copy the text or send it to Word. A phone picture of a page works too, so it doubles as a photo to OCR tool.

Scan document to text, one image per page

Start with one image per page, which is how OCR document scanning works here. Upload it, set the language printed on the document and select Extract text. The words appear in an editable box, where you can correct a misread name or number before copying. Formatted keeps the page's spacing, which helps with an address block or a letterhead, and Plain drops that spacing for simple line-broken text.

Save each scanned page as a PNG, JPG or TIFF image.
Upload the page and choose the language printed on it.
Select Extract text and read the result against the scan.
Fix misread words in the box, then select Copy Text.

Send scanned text to Word as a new document

For OCR to Word, open Download as, choose Word (.docx) and select See result, signing in first if the button asks you to. The recognized text becomes the paragraphs of a new document. Word is marked as a paid format: an export allowance first, then Premium or credits. Image to Word is the other route to the same result: pick The text (OCR) option for a Word file and it reads the page into paragraphs.

Read a scan that has several pages

OCR text extraction runs on each image separately, so a 10-page scan is 10 runs. Batch mode, a Premium feature, takes the whole set with the same settings and returns one ZIP holding a text file for every page, which you then join in page order. If your scan is already a PDF, read the PDF directly. To keep the page pictures, make a searchable PDF with the text behind each page.

Scan a table or a handwritten page instead

Words in a scanned table come back as lines of text, not as cells. Read the table into Excel cells to keep rows and columns apart. Handwriting needs a different reader, so use handwriting recognition for forms filled in by hand, notes or a journal.

Before you scan or upload

Lay the page flat and keep the scanner lid or camera square so lines run straight.
Check that edges, page numbers and footnotes are not cut off.
Name page files in order, such as page-01 and page-02, so the results are easy to join.
Choose the document language first, because changing it afterward clears the result.
Keep the original scan beside the text and compare dates, names and amounts.

Make an image-only paper record possible to edit

Read a scanned page image into text that you can correct and reuse. Straight pages and clear print improve the starting point; compare reading order and punctuation carefully when a scan contains columns, stamps or background noise.

Older paper correspondence

Prepare a checked text copy of a scanned letter, retaining dates, names and the original page for reference.

Searchable text notes from printed material

Extract relevant wording into a text file and add source references yourself before incorporating it into a research collection.

Check scan quality and reading order before exporting text

Use an upright scan and inspect it for cut-off edges or unreadable print.
Select the source language and compare the extraction with each text column.
Correct words and page breaks in the result box, then copy the reviewed passage; a downloaded TXT is the extracted text without your edits.

Scan resolution, annotations and searchable-PDF alternatives

Can scanned image to text process an existing scanned PDF?: This uploader is for image files. Use PDF to Text when your scan is already packaged as a PDF document.
What scan resolution should I start with for OCR?: Use a scan where small printed characters remain distinct when viewed normally. Increasing resolution cannot restore detail already missing from a poor original.
How do stamps or handwritten annotations affect scan OCR?: Marks crossing printed lines can obscure words or enter the result in the wrong place. Compare those regions manually with the source page.
Will OCR preserve the scan as a searchable page image?: This page produces editable text. Use Image to Searchable PDF if you want the visible scan and a recognized text layer in one document.
How do I convert a scanned page to Word?: Choose Word (.docx) under Download as and select See result, signing in first if the button asks you to. The recognized paragraphs go into a new document built from a fresh read of the scan, so corrections typed in the box are not in it. Check fonts and spacing in Word afterward, because the file is built from the text rather than from the look of the scan.
Can I convert a multi-page scan to text in one go?: Each image is read separately, so a multi-page scan does not become one file. Batch mode, a Premium feature, reads many images in one run and returns a ZIP with one text file per page for you to join in order. For a scan saved as a PDF, PDF to Text reads the pages directly.
Can I upload a TIFF file from my scanner?: Yes. TIFF is accepted together with JPG, PNG, WEBP and HEIC, so a scanner's TIFF output can be uploaded as it is. Set the scanner to save each page as its own file, so every page gets its own run and its own text.
Can I convert a scanned table to Excel instead of plain text?: Yes, with a table reader rather than this page. Table Image to Excel puts a scanned table into a worksheet you review before export, and Table Image to CSV gives comma-separated rows. This page returns the words as lines of text, not as separate cells.