Image to Text: Free Online OCR
Convert images (JPG, PNG) and scanned PDFs to text for free. OCR runs in your browser for English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean, so files are not uploaded. Copy the text or download a .txt file.
How to Use
Select file
Start process
Local processing
Download result
Image to Text: Complete OCR Guide
How it works: two OCR engines
OCR (optical character recognition) turns the text in an image or scanned PDF into editable, searchable text. The free engine is Tesseract.js running in your browser: it recognizes English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean, and your image is never uploaded (the language data downloads the first time you use it). Pro adds AI OCR powered by Gemini for up to 50 pages per run, which handles complex layouts, poor scans and handwriting better; if AI fails on a page, that page automatically falls back to the local engine.
How to convert an image to text
1) Open the OCR tool and choose a JPG or PNG image, or a PDF (scans included). 2) Pick the language(s) used in the document — you can select more than one. 3) Start recognition and wait for the progress bar. 4) Copy the text or download it as a .txt file. Screenshots, phone photos of documents and scanned pages all work; you do not need an account for the free engine.
Tips for better accuracy
Use a sharp, evenly lit, straight image — around 300 DPI for scans. Select only the languages actually present in the document; extra languages slow recognition and can add errors. Output is plain text, so tables and multi-column layouts are not kept as tables: for tables in a native PDF, use PDF to Excel instead. For handwriting or low-quality photos, the Pro AI OCR is noticeably more accurate.
Processing Results
Technical Specifications
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Allin PDF | Other Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Image upload | Free local OCR: no upload | Many online OCR tools upload the file |
| Local languages | EN, ZH (Simp./Trad.), JA, KO | Varies by service |
| Complex layouts / poor scans | Pro AI OCR (Gemini) | Varies by service and plan |
Key Facts
Free OCR runs Tesseract.js in your browser and recognizes English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean — images are not uploaded.
Pro adds AI OCR (Gemini) for up to 50 pages per run; if AI fails on a page, that page falls back to the local engine.
Accepts JPG, PNG and PDF (including scans) and returns plain text you can copy or download as .txt.
Privacy Protection
This tool processes your files in your browser: they are not uploaded to a server, and no sign-up or login is needed.
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FAQ
How do I convert an image to text?
Open the OCR tool, choose a JPG, PNG or PDF, select the language(s) in the image and start recognition. When it finishes, copy the text or download it as a .txt file. The free engine needs no account.
Which languages are supported?
The free in-browser engine recognizes English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean, and you can select several at once. Pro AI OCR (Gemini) also reads other languages, including European languages with accents and umlauts.
Is my image uploaded?
Not with the free engine: Tesseract.js runs in your browser and only downloads its language data. With Pro AI OCR, page images are sent to Gemini for recognition; Allin PDF does not store them.
Can it read phone photos and handwriting?
Phone photos work well if they are sharp, evenly lit and taken straight on. Handwriting is difficult for the local engine; the Pro AI OCR is much more accurate for handwriting and low-quality images.
Process Documents Anywhere
Download the Allin PDF iOS app. Its local tools also work offline.