PDF to Text from Image
Convert image-based PDF pages to editable text. OCR workflow for photo scans and image-only PDFs on RatPDF — free online.
Quick steps
- Check text selection — If you cannot highlight text, the PDF is scanned.
- Run OCR — Use OCR PDF to add a searchable text layer.
- Extract text — Upload the OCR'd PDF to PDF to Text.
- Verify output — Spot-check numbers and names before reuse.
Image PDFs vs digital PDFs
Some PDFs are built entirely from JPG/PNG pages — common with mobile scanners. There is no native text layer. Run OCR, then extract text.
Embedded images inside digital PDFs
Digital PDFs may contain photos with captions; extraction returns caption text but not text inside the photo itself. OCR the full page if the photo contains words you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
The PDF likely has no text layer — run OCR first.
Clean 300 DPI scans are highly accurate; handwriting and low contrast reduce quality.
Results vary by script — verify critical fields manually.
Use Word when you need headings and tables; use Text for scripts and search.