Extract Text & OCR
Pull selectable text out of a PDF, or use OCR for scanned pages.
Drop a PDF here
or click to browse files
How to Extract Text & OCR
Need to copy text from a PDF that doesn't allow selection? Or extract content from a scanned document? ZimaPDF's Extract Text tool pulls text from any PDF directly in your browser — with built-in OCR for scanned files.
Upload your PDF
Drop your document into the upload area. The file loads entirely in your browser's memory and is never sent to any external server.
Choose extraction mode
Select Text mode to instantly copy embedded selectable text from a digital PDF. Choose OCR mode to process scanned or image-based PDFs where text is not selectable — OCR renders each page and uses character recognition to extract the words.
Copy or download the text
The extracted content appears in a readable output area. Copy it to your clipboard in one click, or download it as a .txt file to save and edit in any text editor.
Why use ZimaPDF for extract text & ocr?
Works on Both Digital and Scanned PDFs
Text mode handles native digital PDFs instantly. OCR mode handles scans, photos of documents, and image-only PDFs. You get a single tool that covers both scenarios.
No Copy-Protection Workarounds Needed
If your PDF has copy protection enabled that prevents text selection in a reader, ZimaPDF's extraction engine reads the content directly from the file structure, bypassing the restriction legally within your own browser.
Download as a Text File
Get the extracted content as a .txt file to paste into Word, Google Docs, or any other application. Perfect for repurposing content from old PDF reports.
100% Private
Your document — and its contents — never leave your device. OCR also runs locally in the browser using Tesseract.js, so even sensitive scanned documents stay private.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Text mode and OCR mode?
Text mode reads text that is already embedded digitally in the PDF — this is fast and perfectly accurate. OCR mode is for scanned PDFs where the content is essentially a photograph of text; it renders each page as an image and uses optical character recognition to identify the characters, which takes a moment longer.
Does OCR work on scanned PDFs and photos of documents?
Yes. OCR mode is specifically designed for image-based content. It works on PDFs created from a physical scanner, photographed documents, and any PDF where the text is part of an embedded image rather than selectable text.
What languages does OCR support?
OCR supports English and other major Latin-script languages. Accuracy is highest for clearly printed text on clean, high-resolution scans. Handwritten text and very low-resolution scans may produce less accurate results.
Can I export the extracted text to a file?
Yes. After extraction you can download the result as a plain .txt file, which can then be opened and edited in any text editor or word processor.
Will formatting like headings and tables be preserved?
Plain text extraction does not preserve visual formatting — you get the text content without the original layout. Tables will appear as sequential lines of text. For formatted output, consider copying the text into Word or Google Docs and reformatting it there.
Is there a page limit for text extraction?
No page limit. For very long documents, OCR mode may take a few minutes since every page needs to be rendered and analysed. Text mode is essentially instantaneous regardless of document length.