Free

Free PDF to Word OCR Online

A free PDF to Word OCR converter: turn scanned PDFs into editable Word docs with in-browser OCR — proofread the results.

Free tool · No sign-up · Private

Honest note: For scanned PDFs. This tool reads each page as a picture and uses OCR (optical character recognition) to pull out the text — then builds a real editable .docx. For text-based PDFs use our faster PDF to Word — it extracts real text instead of guessing it.
OCR text may need proofreading — accuracy depends on scan quality. Best for clean, high-contrast scans; handwriting and complex tables won't convert well.
First-run download: the OCR engine (about 15 MB) downloads once, then it's cached in your browser — later runs start instantly. OCR runs 100% in your browser — your files never leave your device.

PDFs up to 50 MB. A scan is a PDF whose pages are pictures — if you can't select text in it, it's scanned.

Private by design. PDF rendering and OCR run 100% in your browser with pdf.js and tesseract.js. Your files never leave your device — safe for contracts, medical forms, and personal records.

For text-based PDFs use our faster PDF to Word tool; for scanned or image PDFs, this OCR version is the right one. Not sure which you have? If you can't select the text with your mouse, it's scanned.

Formats & limits

What this OCR converter does

Plain facts about a tool that reads pictures of text.

Input: scanned PDF

PDFs whose pages are images — old paper scans, photographed documents, camera-captured receipts. Up to 50 MB.

Output: genuine editable .docx

A real Word document with page headings and paragraphs — opens and edits cleanly in Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice.

Printed English only

Recognition is tuned for clear printed English. Other languages, handwriting, and stylized fonts won't read well.

Proofreading is part of the deal

OCR guesses characters from pixels. Clean scans read near-perfectly; poor scans need a read-through. We say so up front.

How it works

Three steps to editable text

Drop your scanned PDF

The file is opened locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded — not even to check the page count.

OCR reads every page

Each page renders at 150 DPI and the OCR engine recognizes its text, with live per-page progress ("OCR page 3 of 12…"). Pick all pages or a range.

Download the .docx

A genuine Word file is built with page headings and paragraphs. Proofread it, then edit it anywhere.

Use cases

When OCR to Word helps

Scans stop being dead-ends.

Digitize paper archives

Filing cabinets of printed reports, letters, and records become searchable, editable Word files instead of dusty paper.

Reuse old contracts

The original Word file is gone and only a scan survives? OCR it back into an editable document you can amend.

Study from scanned books

Turn scanned textbook chapters into text you can highlight, annotate, and quote in your own notes.

Process photographed forms

Snap a form with your phone, merge the photos into a PDF, and convert the whole batch to editable text at once.

Quote old invoices

Pull line items out of scanned invoices into Word instead of retyping numbers and descriptions by hand.

Accessibility

A screen reader can't read a picture of text. Converting the scan to real text makes the content accessible again.

FAQ

Scanned PDF to Word questions

What is the difference between this and the regular PDF to Word tool?
A text-based PDF already contains selectable text — the regular PDF to Word tool extracts it directly and quickly. A scanned PDF is just pictures of pages, so there's no text to extract. This OCR version reads each page as an image and recognizes the characters, then builds an editable .docx from what it read. Use the regular tool for text PDFs and this one for scans.
How accurate is the OCR?
Accuracy depends on your scan: clean, high-contrast, straight scans of printed English text convert very well. Skewed pages, small fonts, blurry photos, handwriting, and complex tables will have errors — always proofread the result before using it for anything important.
Do I need to upload my PDF anywhere?
No. The PDF is rendered and OCR'd entirely inside your browser with pdf.js and tesseract.js. Your file never leaves your device, which makes this safe for sensitive documents.
How long does it take?
The first run downloads the OCR engine (about 15 MB), then it's cached and later runs start instantly. After that, expect roughly 10–30 seconds per page depending on your device — a 10-page scan takes a few minutes. Keep the tab open while it works.
Can I convert only some pages?
Yes — choose “Page range” and enter something like 1-5, 8. Skipping pages you don't need saves time, especially on long documents.
Will the Word file keep the original layout?
No. The output is editable text with page headings — not a pixel-perfect layout clone. OCR reads the words; it does not recreate fonts, columns, tables, or images. For faithful layout, scan quality text extraction is not the right approach; this tool is for getting the words editable.

Keep exploring

Related tools

Free
PDF to Word Converter

Extract editable text from any PDF into a real .docx file.

Open tool →AI
Image to Text OCR

Extract editable text from any image.

Open tool →Free
Text to PDF

Turn styled text into a downloadable PDF.

Open tool →

For developers

Need this programmatically?

YATools also exposes simple REST APIs for screenshots, audio, documents, and more — free tier included.

Explore the API →