OCR means optical character recognition. In a product workflow, it is the step that turns a scanned image, screenshot, or PDF page into text that software can search, copy, store, or send to another system.
Use the Image to Text tool when the file is mostly text. Use PDF to Markdown when the layout matters and you need headings, lists, tables, or formulas preserved.
Simple OCR vs formatted OCR
Simple OCR is best when the goal is plain text:
Invoice No: INV-2026-018
Total: $428.90
Due Date: 2026-07-15Formatted OCR is better when the document structure is part of the result:
## Invoice INV-2026-018
| Item | Qty | Amount |
| -------------- | --: | ------: |
| OCR processing | 1 | $428.90 |Common inputs
OCR is useful for photos, screenshots, scanned PDFs, receipts, invoices, business cards, and handwritten notes. For specialized pages, start from Screenshot to Text, Invoice OCR, or Handwriting to Text.
What to check before uploading
Readable source files produce better results. Crop unnecessary borders, keep the text upright, and choose formatted mode only when the layout is useful. For tables, use Table OCR or PDF to Excel.
Next step
Try OCR in the browser with Image to Text, compare limits on Pricing, or automate recognition with the OCR API.
