Free OCR: turn scanned PDFs, photos and handwriting into editable text
Built for real-world scans: faint photocopies, low-DPI PDFs, phone photos with shadows. Each page is enlarged, cleaned and read several ways, and the best result is kept. English, Hindi, Marathi and 10 more languages, with neat English handwriting in beta. Nothing leaves your device.
- 100% free
- No upload
- Low-DPI scans
- 13 languages
- Handwriting beta
- Searchable PDF
Need the pages printed, or old documents scanned properly at 300–600 DPI? WhatsApp us or see document scanning.
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In short: To convert a scanned PDF or photo to editable text, drop it on the tool above, tick the languages on the page and press Read the text. Each page is enlarged to about 300 DPI, cleaned of shadows and grey backgrounds, and read several ways; the best result is kept. You get editable text with doubtful words highlighted, plus TXT, Word and searchable PDF downloads. English, Hindi, Marathi and 10 more languages are supported, and neat English handwriting in beta. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a scanned PDF or photo to text
Works on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone. Nothing to install.
Add the pages
Drop scanned PDFs or photos, paste a screenshot, or take a photo with your phone.
Choose the text type
Printed text, or handwriting (beta). Tick only the languages that are on the page.
Read the text
Every page is cleaned and read. Low-quality pages are tried several ways automatically.
Check and save
Fix any highlighted words, then copy, or download TXT, Word or a searchable PDF.
Why it reads poor and low-DPI scans better
Most free OCR sends the image straight to the engine. Faint, small or shadowed text then comes out as nonsense. This tool prepares every page first.
- Enlarged to 300 DPILow-resolution scans and phone crops are scaled up so letters are 25–40 pixels tall, where the engine reads best.
- Shadows removedThe paper colour is measured across the page and divided out, so yellow paper, phone shadows and dark edges turn white.
- Contrast restoredFaded photocopies are stretched back to full black and white.
- Adaptive thresholdEach area of the page gets its own black-and-white cut-off (Sauvola method), so uneven scans stay readable.
- StraightenedTilted pages are measured and rotated level before reading.
- Best of several triesIf a page reads badly, it is tried again without thresholding, larger, and turned sideways; the most confident result wins.
- Exact text from PDFsPDF pages that already hold text are copied directly – 100% accurate, no OCR needed.
- Doubtful words markedWords the engine is unsure of are highlighted, so you check a few words instead of the whole page.
- Searchable PDFAn invisible text layer is added over the original pages, so you can search and copy in any PDF reader.
Can it read handwriting?
Yes, in beta, for English. Handwriting mode runs Microsoft’s TrOCR handwriting model in your browser. The page is cleaned and straightened, split into lines, and each line is read separately. Neat print-style writing reads well; joined-up cursive, doctors’ notes and very messy writing will need correcting. Each line image is shown next to its text so checking is quick. Hindi and other Indian-language handwriting is not supported by any free in-browser model yet – use printed mode for those.
Tips for the most accurate results
| Do this | Why |
|---|---|
| Scan at 300 DPI, or photograph the page flat in daylight | Sharper letters mean fewer mistakes; the tool fixes a lot, but not blur |
| Tick only the languages on the page | Extra languages make the engine guess between look-alike letters |
| Use “Scattered text” for forms, receipts and tables | Stops the engine from joining separate boxes into one sentence |
| Keep “Try several clean-ups” on for bad scans | The best of several readings is kept automatically |
| Crop phone photos to the page | Table tops and fingers around the page confuse the layout |
This OCR compared with typical free online OCR
| Feature | This tool | Typical free OCR site |
|---|---|---|
| Files uploaded to a server | Never | Yes |
| Clean-up for low-DPI and shadowed scans | Automatic, several tries | Rarely |
| Hindi, Marathi and other Indian languages | 12 Indian languages | Often English only |
| Doubtful words highlighted | Yes | No |
| Searchable PDF and Word output | Yes | Often paid |
| Page and file limits | None | Common on free plans |
Free plans elsewhere change often, so treat the right-hand column as what we generally see, not as a claim about any one company.
Scanning and printing, done for you
Old registers, books and files scanned properly on our machines give far better OCR than phone photos. And when your document is ready, we print it on Laser Book Printing machines — 600 DPI, powder toner, never inkjet — in Borivali West, Mumbai, with courier across India.
| Service | From | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Black & white, 70 GSM | ₹0.50 / side | Front-back, 1000+ pages, text files |
| Colour, 80 GSM | ₹1.50 / side | Front-back, text only, 500+ colour pages |
| Spiral binding | ₹30 – ₹50 | By thickness, up to 275 sheets |
| Courier | ₹50 / kg | Mumbai & Thane; rest of India ₹120 first kg |
Quick answers
How do I convert a scanned PDF to editable text for free?
Drop the PDF on the tool above, tick its languages and press Read the text. Copy the result or download it as Word.
Can OCR read Hindi or Marathi?
Yes. Tick Hindi or Marathi (Devanagari). Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Urdu and Sanskrit work too.
How do I OCR a blurry or low-resolution scan?
Keep “Enlarge small scans” and “Try several clean-ups” on. The page is scaled to 300 DPI, cleaned and read several ways.
How do I make a scanned PDF searchable?
Run OCR, then choose Download searchable PDF. It keeps your pages and adds an invisible text layer.
Can I convert handwritten notes to text?
Neat English handwriting, yes: choose Handwriting (beta). Check each line against its picture before using the text.
How do I copy text from a photo on my phone?
Tap “Take a photo of a page”, then Read the text, then Copy all.
Other names people use for OCR
Whatever you search for, it is this same free tool on BulkPrintouts.com:
Frequently asked questions about OCR
How do I convert a scanned PDF or image to editable text?
Drop the PDF or picture on the tool above, tick the languages that are on the page and press Read the text. Each page is cleaned and read in your browser, and you get editable text that you can copy or download as TXT, Word or a searchable PDF.
Does it work on low-DPI or poor-quality scans?
Yes, that is what it is built for. Small and low-resolution scans are enlarged to about 300 DPI, shadows and yellow paper are removed, faded text gets its contrast back and each area of the page gets its own black-and-white threshold. With Try several clean-ups on, a badly read page is tried again without thresholding, larger and turned sideways, and the most confident result is kept.
Can it read handwriting?
Neat English handwriting, yes, in beta. Handwriting mode runs Microsoft's TrOCR model in your browser: the page is cleaned, straightened and split into lines, and each line is read separately. Joined-up cursive and messy writing need checking; each line picture is shown beside its text so correcting is quick. The model is about 60 MB and downloads once.
Which languages are supported?
English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Urdu and Sanskrit for printed text. Tick only the languages actually on the page for the best accuracy. Handwriting mode is English only.
How accurate is it?
On a clean printed page at 300 DPI, usually above 98% of characters. Poor scans, unusual fonts and tables are harder. Every page shows a confidence score, and words the engine is unsure of are highlighted so you can check just those.
What is a searchable PDF?
A PDF that looks exactly like your scan but has an invisible text layer on top, so you can search, select and copy the words in any PDF reader. The tool keeps your original pages and adds the text layer to them.
My PDF already has text. Will it OCR it again?
No, unless you want it to. Pages that already contain real text are copied directly, which is exact and instant. Untick that option to force OCR, for example when the embedded text is garbled.
Are my documents uploaded?
No. The OCR engine runs in your browser on your own device. Your files are never sent to our server or anyone else's, so it is safe for Aadhaar cards, bank statements, legal papers and exam scripts. Only the reading engine and language files are downloaded, once.
Is there a page or file limit?
No. Add as many files and pages as you like. Large jobs simply take longer: expect a few seconds per page on a laptop, more on a phone and with Try several clean-ups on.
How do I read forms, receipts or tables?
Set Page layout to Scattered text. It reads each separate block on its own instead of joining neighbouring boxes into one sentence. For a single line, such as a number plate or a label, choose A single line.
Why are some words wrong?
The usual causes are blur, very small text, stamps or lines crossing the words, decorative fonts and ticking the wrong language. Rescan at 300 DPI if you can, tick only the right languages and keep the clean-up options on.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. Use Take a photo of a page to photograph a document with the camera, or choose files from the gallery. Handwriting mode needs a recent phone because the model is large.
What about password-protected PDFs?
A PDF that needs a password to open must be unlocked first: open it with the password and save a copy.
Can you scan or print my documents?
Yes. BulkPrintouts.com in Borivali West, Mumbai scans documents and prints on 600 DPI laser machines, from ₹0.50 per side for black and white, with courier across India. WhatsApp +91 98201 69619.
Last reviewed: 21/09/2026 · Published by BulkPrintouts.com, Borivali West, Mumbai · Questions? Call or WhatsApp +91 98201 69619 (Mon–Sat, 3 PM–10 PM IST).