Choose images or a PDF, drag them here, or paste a screenshot (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V)
JPG, PNG, WEBP, BMP, GIF, PDF. Up to 30 files. Stays on your device.
JPG, PNG, WEBP, BMP, GIF, PDF. Up to 30 files. Stays on your device.
Choose or paste an image to start. Nothing is uploaded.
- OCR in your browserTesseract runs on your device
- 0 uploadsImages and PDFs stay local
- 30+ languagesPlus scanned multi-page PDFs
- No sign-upNo account needed
How to do it
The Japanese OCR model is preselected. Drop your image or PDF and press Extract text. The Japanese language file downloads once (about 1-3 MB).
Tip: If the page also contains English, add English as the second language.
How it works
- Choose, drop or paste images or a PDF.
- PDF pages that already contain text are extracted directly. Images and scanned pages are read with Tesseract OCR in your browser.
- Copy the text, or download it as .txt, .doc (Word) or .csv (Excel).
Get the best results
| Works well | Works poorly |
|---|---|
| Screenshots and clean scans | Cursive or messy handwriting |
| Printed text, 10pt or larger | Tiny, blurry or low-light photos |
| Straight, flat pages | Curved pages, steep angles, glare |
| Plain fonts | Decorative fonts, text over busy images |
Choose the correct language: OCR uses a model trained for each script. For mixed-language pages, set a second language.
Private by design
Most free OCR websites upload your document to their server. TextRuler runs the OCR engine in your browser, so your images and PDFs never leave your device.
Related guides
- Hindi image to text (OCR)
- Arabic image to text (OCR)
- Chinese (Simplified) image to text (OCR)
- Chinese (Traditional) image to text (OCR)
- Korean image to text (OCR)
- Spanish image to text (OCR)
- French image to text (OCR)
- German image to text (OCR)
Frequently asked questions
Is TextRuler free?
Yes, free with no sign-up and no page limits, because it runs on your device.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Images and PDFs are processed in your browser.
Can it read handwriting?
Not reliably. It is designed for printed text.