i2OCR

i2OCR is a free online tool that uses optical character recognition (OCR) to pull text out of images and scanned PDF documents. You upload a file, and it converts the visual text into editable, machine-readable content. It handles photos, screenshots, and image-based PDFs, turning them into text you can copy, edit, or search. The process happens in your web browser, so there's no software to install.

The tool stands out for its broad language support, covering 128 languages and scripts, from common ones like English and Spanish to less common scripts. It offers a simple, free tier for processing one image or PDF page at a time, with premium options available for bulk work. After processing, you can download the extracted text in several formats, including plain text, Microsoft Word documents, HTML, or as a new, searchable PDF. A key point is that all uploaded files are automatically deleted after processing for user privacy.

This tool is most useful for students digitizing notes, professionals needing to edit text from a scanned contract or report, and researchers working with multilingual archives. It saves the tedious work of manual retyping. Common real-world tasks include converting a scanned book page into editable text, pulling data from a screenshot of a receipt, or making an old scanned PDF searchable for a digital archive.