Skip to main content
FastOCR

Free Online OCR: PDF to Text Converter

Extract text from images, photos and scanned PDFs in 100+ languages. Copy the text, download Word or make a PDF searchable.

Bank statements

Drop your file here

PDF, PNG, JPG, WebP, BMP, HEIC

PDF up to 1 GB · images up to 20 MB

Tips for a clear photo
  • Lay the page flat.
  • Use even light, with no shadows.
  • Turn off the flash to avoid glare.
  • Fill the frame with the page.

No file handy? Try a sample:

Free image OCR. No signup needed. PDFs require a free account. View limits and pricing.

Encrypted upload. Private to you, deleted after 30 days. How we protect files

Prefer to keep files on your computer? Get the free offline app for Mac or Windows.

  • 2,800,000+ pages processed
  • 100+ languages, including RTL
  • Dual-layer searchable PDF

What is online OCR?

Online OCR converts text in images and scanned PDFs into text you can copy, search and edit. OCR stands for optical character recognition. With FastOCR, upload a photo, screenshot or scanned document in your browser, then copy the words or download the result. Images need no account; PDFs require a free account.

Images to text or Word: extract words from photos, screenshots, receipts and book pages. Copy the text or download a plain text or Word file. After processing a single image, you can also translate the text or use optional AI Polish to help correct recognition errors.

PDFs to text, Word or searchable PDF: get the extracted text and a searchable copy that keeps the original page images. Use Ctrl+F to find a word, then select and copy it. FastOCR detects 100+ languages, including Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Chinese and English, without choosing a language first.

Clear, straight scans give better results than blurry photos. Check names, numbers and handwriting against the original before using the extracted text. If you are choosing between tools, see our OCR tool comparisons.

How to use free online OCR

From a scanned document or image to clean, editable text.

  1. Step 1

    Upload your document or image

    Choose a photo, screenshot or scan up to 20 MB, or a PDF up to 1 GB. Start with an image without signing up; sign in to a free account for PDFs.

  2. Step 2

    Extract the text with OCR

    FastOCR detects text across 100+ languages automatically. When processing finishes, review the extracted text against your original, especially names, numbers and handwriting.

  3. Step 3

    Copy or download your result

    Copy the text or download a text or Word file. PDF uploads also return a searchable PDF. Translation and optional AI Polish are available after single-image OCR.

Try the searchable PDF

Make a scan searchable

A scan is only a picture, so Ctrl+F finds nothing. FastOCR adds the words as an invisible text layer. Search this page, or tap any word on it.

gettysburg-address-1864-searchable.pdf

3 matches for “nation”

Handwritten 1864 page of the Gettysburg Address (Bliss copy), public domain

Extracted text

Unedited Vision output · 141 words

Address delivered at the dedication of the bemetery at Gettysburg. Four scose and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new na- tion, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are cres atea equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation; or any nation so conceived and to dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle field of that war. We have come to dedicato a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is alto= gether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedis

Unedited output for this file, mistakes included. Vision read “Cemetery” as “bemetery” and “score” as “scose”. PDF uploads get a searchable PDF like this one; image uploads get the text.

Try your own file

Security

Encrypted, private, and deleted on schedule

Bank statements, passports and contracts are sensitive. Here is exactly what happens to a file you upload.

  1. Your deviceHTTPS upload
  2. Private storageAES-256 encrypted
  3. OCRMachines only
  4. DeletedAfter 30 days

  • Encrypted in transit

    Every upload and download travels over HTTPS (TLS). Our storage refuses unencrypted connections.

  • Encrypted at rest

    Files and results are stored encrypted with AES-256 on AWS, with all public access blocked.

  • Private, expiring links

    Nobody can browse to your files. Download links are private and expire within an hour.

  • Deleted automatically

    Uploads and extracted text are permanently deleted after 30 days. Delete your account and data any time.

  • Never used for training

    Your files are never used to train AI models, by us or by the cloud services that read them.

  • Payments by Stripe

    Card details go straight to Stripe. FastOCR never sees or stores your card number.

Rather not upload at all?

The free Mac and Windows apps read documents with your computer's built-in OCR. OCR runs offline, and your files never leave your computer.

Free for MacFree for Windows

Full details in our privacy policy.

What you can do

Document OCR, searchable PDFs, bank statements and API

One upload, four kinds of output. Every option runs on the same OCR engine.

Image to text

Screenshots, phone photos, receipts and book pages. Free, with no account.

  • No signup for single images
  • Translate the result
  • Copy or download in one click
Extract text from an image

Searchable PDF

Scanned PDFs keep their look and gain an invisible, selectable text layer.

  • Multi-page PDFs up to 1 GB
  • Searchable PDF or Word
  • Upload several PDFs at once
Make a PDF searchable

Bank statement to Excel

Transactions land in a clean spreadsheet, with balances checked against the statement.

  • Excel, CSV and JSON
  • Opening and closing balance check
  • First 50 statement pages free
Convert a statement

REST API

Document OCR and bank statement extraction from your own code.

  • Document OCR and searchable PDF
  • Bank statements to JSON, CSV, Excel and QuickBooks
  • OpenAPI 3.0 spec
Read the API overview

For developers

Add OCR to your app with one REST API

Create a job, upload to a presigned URL, poll, download. Multi-page PDFs up to 1 GB, document OCR and searchable PDF on the same flow. The bank statement API returns JSON, CSV, Excel and QuickBooks files.

Document OCR
Free monthly pages
100+ languages (RTL & CJK)
Searchable PDF export
OpenAPI 3.0 spec
Pay-as-you-go Page Packs
Explore OCR API View DocsPricing →
cURL Quickstart
https://api.fastocr.org
# 1. Create document job with Bearer auth
curl -s -X POST https://api.fastocr.org/v1/documents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTOCR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"filename":"invoice.pdf","size_bytes":1048576}'

# 2. Upload file directly to returned presigned S3 URL
curl -s -X PUT "<upload_url>" -T invoice.pdf

# 3. Start OCR & download result
curl -s -X POST https://api.fastocr.org/v1/documents/<id>/start \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTOCR_API_KEY"
Auth: Bearer fok_live_...
Get Free API Key →

Free desktop apps for Mac and Windows

Free, offline, no account needed. The apps use your computer's built-in OCR, so they read fewer languages and are less accurate than FastOCR online.

FastOCR for MacFastOCR for Windows

Tools

Specialized document OCR tools

Pages tuned for one document type or output format. Same engine, same free tier.

By language (60 guides)

All language pages

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Accuracy, languages, pricing and privacy. Anything else? Email support@fastocr.org.

Do purchased Page Pack pages reset each month?

Only monthly allowances renew: Free renews on the first of each month (UTC); paid plans follow their billing date, including monthly allowances on yearly plans. Unused monthly pages do not roll over. Purchased Page Pack pages never expire and are used after your monthly document allowance. Buying a pack does not start a subscription or change its renewal date.

How do I convert a scanned PDF to editable text for free?

Sign in to a free FastOCR account and upload your scanned PDF. After processing, download the extracted text, a Word document or a searchable PDF. You can process 20 PDF pages free each month. API document jobs share this monthly allowance. Image uploads on the website do not use it. No credit card is required.

Is FastOCR really free to use?

Yes. Image OCR is free: try 3 images a day without an account, or sign in free for unlimited image OCR. Website image uploads do not use your PDF page allowance. PDFs require a free account and include 20 pages a month; API document jobs share that allowance. For more PDF pages, see the page packs and subscriptions on our pricing page.

How do I extract tables and transactions from bank statements into Excel?

Upload a digital PDF bank statement at fastocr.org/bank-statement. You get an Excel (XLSX) and a CSV file with dates, descriptions, money in, money out and balances, and the page tells you whether the statement reconciles. Scanned statements and photos are read with OCR and may need more review. Check dates and descriptions against your statement.

What file types and document sizes can I upload?

FastOCR accepts JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, HEIC and HEIF images up to 20 MB, and PDFs up to 1 GB. HEIC and HEIF photos are converted in your browser before upload. Text languages are detected automatically.

How accurate is FastOCR on Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, and non-Latin scripts?

FastOCR reads complex right-to-left (RTL) scripts including Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, and Hebrew, as well as Devanagari (Hindi) and CJK languages. Our specialized vision models handle ligatures, diacritics, and cursive baseline connections. Accuracy depends on scan quality, resolution, and the script, so check the result.

What is AI Polish and how does it fix OCR errors?

AI Polish is an optional follow-up action after OCR of a single image. It uses context to help correct recognition errors, punctuation and missing accents. It can change the text, so compare important details with your original. AI Polish is not available for PDFs.

Can FastOCR extract text from handwriting and low-resolution photos?

FastOCR can read some clear handwriting and text in phone photos, but accuracy depends on the script, writing style and image quality. Blurry, skewed or low-resolution images are harder to read. Use a clear scan when possible and check the extracted text against the original.

Does FastOCR offer a developer REST API for automated OCR?

Yes. FastOCR provides a high-speed asynchronous REST API for document OCR and searchable PDF creation. A bank statement API returns bank statements as JSON, CSV, Excel and QuickBooks files. Every account receives free evaluation API credits with full OpenAPI 3.0 specs and quickstart cURL, Python, and Node.js examples.

Is my data private and secure on FastOCR?

Files are encrypted in transit and at rest. Uploaded documents and extracted outputs are automatically deleted after 30 days. We never sell your data or use your private documents to train public AI models.

Can I translate the extracted text into another language?

Yes. After extracting text from a single image, you can translate the text into English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and 100+ other languages directly from the results interface. Translation and AI Polish work on single images, not PDFs.

Make every scan searchable.

Extract text from any document in seconds, in 100+ languages. Free for single images, no credit card.

Upload a documentSee pricing