AI OCR - Image to Text Converter
OCR that runs on your own machine
Optical character recognition here is powered by Tesseract, the long-established open-source OCR engine, compiled to WebAssembly so it executes inside your browser rather than on a server. That is unusual: nearly every free OCR site works by uploading your document, running recognition remotely and sending the text back, which means the scan passes through infrastructure you do not control.
The distinction is worth caring about because of what people actually put through OCR. Passports and ID cards, bank statements, payslips, medical letters, contracts, invoices and signed forms are the everyday material of text extraction, and they are exactly the documents you would least want sitting in a stranger's processing queue. Running locally removes that question entirely, and it also means no file-size cap, no daily quota and no account.
Recognition quality tracks input quality closely. Tesseract reads crisp, high-contrast, squarely-aligned text extremely well, so a flatbed scan or a screenshot of a document transcribes near-perfectly. A phone photo taken at an angle in poor light is harder, which is why straightening and cleaning the image beforehand pays off more than any setting on this page. Selecting the correct language before you run it also matters, since the engine uses language-specific character models and dictionaries to resolve ambiguous shapes.
How to extract text from an image
- Upload the image. JPG, PNG and TIFF all work, as do screenshots and scans.
- Select the language. This matters more than it appears, the engine uses language-specific character models and dictionaries to resolve ambiguous shapes.
- Run the extraction. The first run downloads the language data, then it is cached for subsequent use.
- Review and copy. The text appears below, ready to copy into a document or spreadsheet.
Preparing the image is where most of the accuracy comes from. If the photo was taken at an angle, square it up with the perspective straightener first, since Tesseract expects roughly horizontal text lines. Then raise the contrast with the filters tool so the letters sit clearly against the background. Those two steps routinely turn a mediocre result into a clean one. For a longer walkthrough see how to extract text from images.
Frequently asked questions
Which OCR engine does this use?
Tesseract, the established open-source engine, compiled to WebAssembly so it runs inside your browser instead of on a server.
Is it safe for passports, bank statements and contracts?
The recognition happens on your own machine, so the document is never transmitted. That is the main reason to prefer local OCR for identity documents, financial records and signed paperwork.
How do I improve accuracy on a phone photo?
Square the image up with the perspective straightener so text lines run horizontally, then raise contrast with the filters tool. Those two steps make more difference than anything else.
Why does language selection matter?
The engine uses language-specific character models and dictionaries to decide between similar-looking shapes, so picking the right language measurably improves the transcription.
Is there a file size limit or quota?
No. Because nothing is uploaded there is no bandwidth to meter, no daily cap and no account. The practical limit is your device's memory.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. You can photograph a document and run recognition on the phone itself, which is convenient and keeps the document local.
🔎 Verify it yourself: nothing uploads
Don’t take our word for it. Open your browser’s DevTools (F12 → Network tab), then run this tool on any image. The only download you’ll see is the open-source AI model coming to your browser — your image itself is never sent anywhere. Every tool on this site works the same way — all processing happens on your device.