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Free Online OCR - Optical Character Recognition Tool
Extract text from scanned images and PDFs with our free online OCR tool. Convert JPG, PNG, and PDF files into editable text quickly and securely. No downloads, no sign-ups – just fast, accurate text recognition powered by AI.
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Maximum file size is 20MB
OCR Instructions
How to Extract Text from Images or PDFs
Click inside the file drop area to upload your image or PDF file, or drag & drop it.
Our system will analyze your file and extract the text using advanced OCR technology.
Download the extracted text in your preferred format (TXT, DOCX, etc.).
Optionally, send the recognized text file to your email address.
What is Image OCR (Optical Character Recognition)?
Image OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a cutting-edge technology that enables the conversion of text in images into machine-encoded text. OCR software analyzes images containing printed or handwritten text and converts them into editable text files. The technology can recognize text from various sources like scanned documents, photos, screenshots, or even photos of whiteboards and other handwritten content.
It is used widely for document digitization, archival systems, and accessibility tools. Image OCR can process common image formats such as JPG, JPEG, PNG, and WebP, making it accessible for different types of files. Whether you're working with old scanned documents or photos of text, OCR provides a powerful solution to extract that information quickly.
Image OCR technology is essential for various industries, such as healthcare, legal, education, and business, where digitizing paper-based documents and turning them into editable formats is crucial for improving workflows, reducing manual input, and improving accessibility.
How to use Image OCR?
To use Image OCR, simply upload an image file that contains the text you want to extract. Supported formats include JPG, JPEG, PNG, and WebP. Once uploaded, the OCR tool will analyze the image and extract the text into a TXT file.
OCR works best when the text in the image is clear and well-defined. The better the quality of the image, the more accurate the extracted text will be. If the text is blurry or distorted, the OCR tool might struggle to recognize certain characters, leading to errors.
You can then download the extracted text as a TXT file. The text can be copied, edited, or used in any application that supports text processing. This makes OCR a valuable tool for transforming printed material into digital text for easier manipulation.
IMAGE OCR is Developed by: Various OCR Software Developers
IMAGE OCR was Released on: 1970s
Useful Links for IMAGE OCR:
How to convert Image OCR?
To convert an image to text using OCR, simply upload the image in JPG, JPEG, PNG, or WebP format. The tool will analyze the image and extract the text, which you can then download as a TXT file.
OCR technology is especially useful for scanning old documents or extracting text from images where no electronic version exists. It also helps convert images of handwritten content into machine-readable text, which can be used in applications such as document editing or data extraction.
Some OCR tools also allow for the extraction of data tables, forms, and multi-column text layouts, making it even more versatile for professional use. For high accuracy, make sure the image is clear, with good contrast between the text and background.
What is PDF OCR (Optical Character Recognition)?
PDF OCR is the process of transforming image-based or scanned PDF files into searchable and editable text. Scanned documents, images, and PDF files that contain text embedded as an image (such as a scanned document) can be processed using OCR technology to extract the text and make it fully editable and searchable.
OCR is particularly useful for converting documents such as old printed reports, books, invoices, contracts, and scanned forms into a format that can be easily edited or processed. By converting the scanned content into machine-readable text, PDF OCR technology enhances document accessibility and management, as you can now search for text within these previously non-searchable PDFs.
The OCR process works by identifying the shapes of characters in the image, comparing them to character patterns, and converting these into text. It can handle multiple languages and different types of fonts, making it a versatile tool for working with a wide range of documents.
How to use PDF OCR?
To use PDF OCR, you need to upload a scanned or image-based PDF file. The OCR tool will analyze the PDF, extracting text from the scanned pages or image elements. Once the text is extracted, it can be saved in a variety of formats, including searchable PDF, TXT, DOCX, or others.
PDF OCR works best with high-quality scanned documents that contain clear, legible text. The better the quality of the scanned PDF, the more accurately the OCR software can extract the text. If the PDF contains low-resolution scans or unclear text, the OCR process might result in lower accuracy or errors.
After processing the PDF OCR, the document will be searchable and the text will be available for editing. This is especially useful for users who need to work with documents that were originally created as image scans or photos of printed material.
PDF OCR is Developed by: Various OCR Software Developers
PDF OCR was Released on: 1970s
Useful Links for PDF OCR:
How to convert PDF OCR?
To convert a scanned or image-based PDF file into editable text, upload the PDF to our OCR tool. The OCR software will analyze each page, extract any visible text, and create a new document in a machine-readable format, such as a searchable PDF or a text file.
OCR is particularly useful for converting scanned books, old manuscripts, business contracts, invoices, and other documents into editable digital formats. The process saves time by eliminating the need to manually retype the contents of printed documents.
The accuracy of the conversion depends on the quality of the original scan or image. For optimal results, ensure your PDF file is clear and that the text is not obscured by noise or distortion. Higher-quality scans will produce more accurate OCR results, making your document more useful for future searches and edits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions and answers about ocr file conversions asked by our users on RunConvert.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can OCR be used for business card scanning?
A: Yes, OCR is great for scanning business cards! Many apps and tools use OCR to extract contact details like names, phone numbers, and emails from business cards. You can then save this information directly into your contacts or a CRM system, making networking more efficient.
Q: How accurate is OCR when converting images of text?
A: OCR accuracy can be very high, especially with high-quality scans. However, if the text is distorted, blurry, or in a fancy font, accuracy can suffer. Generally, the clearer the text, the better the OCR results. It's amazing how technology can read text with such precision, but sometimes a little manual correction is necessary.
Q: Is OCR capable of reading small font sizes?
A: OCR can read small fonts, but the smaller the text, the more challenging it becomes for the OCR engine. Fonts smaller than 8–10 points might cause issues with accuracy. If you’re working with tiny text, ensure the document is high resolution to improve the chances of accurate recognition.
Q: What is the maximum file size OCR can handle?
A: The maximum file size that OCR can handle depends on the tool or software you're using. Most online OCR services allow up to a few megabytes per file, while desktop software may handle much larger files. If you're working with massive documents, it’s worth checking the tool's file size limits.
Q: How accurate is OCR when converting text from low-quality images?
A: OCR accuracy can be significantly affected by the quality of the image. Low-resolution images with blurry or pixelated text might lead to errors in recognition. The clearer and more high-quality the image, the better the OCR tool will perform. If the image quality is low, manual corrections may be needed afterward.
Q: Can OCR handle multi-page documents?
A: Absolutely! OCR can process multi-page documents, and it’ll convert each page individually into text. Many OCR tools even let you combine the results into one seamless file. So, whether you’ve got a short report or a long book, OCR has you covered.
Q: Can OCR convert images into text?
A: Yes, absolutely! OCR works wonders with images as well. If you have a photo of a document or even a screenshot, OCR can extract the text from that image and turn it into a format you can edit. It's like magic—well, almost!
Q: Can OCR handle complex technical documents?
A: OCR can handle technical documents, but the complexity of the text might present challenges. If the document has a lot of specialized terms or symbols, the OCR tool might need a bit more time or manual corrections. The clearer the source, the easier it will be for OCR to process it correctly.
Q: How does OCR handle formatting in documents?
A: OCR can retain some of the basic formatting, like paragraphs, headings, and bullet points, but it can struggle with more complex layouts. For documents with intricate formatting, you might need to tweak things afterward. The more complex the formatting, the more likely you’ll need to do some manual adjustments.
Q: Does OCR support extraction from non-Latin alphabets?
A: Yes, OCR supports many non-Latin alphabets, including Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, and others. However, some OCR tools are better than others at handling these languages, so it’s important to choose a tool that supports the specific alphabet or language you're working with.
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