# Extract text from a scanned PDF

**Use case:** 

Turn a scanned PDF into plain English text with Tesseract OCR that runs inside the Actor. Upload your PDF to the run's key-value store and list its key; you get the full text as a .txt file plus a record with page count and per-page confidence. With no file, the task reads a built-in sample page.

## Input

```json
{
  "language": "eng",
  "layout": "auto",
  "renderDpi": 200,
  "pageTimeoutSecs": 60,
  "maxPagesPerFile": 50,
  "includeTextInDataset": true,
  "documentRightsAttestation": false,
  "maxConcurrency": 3
}
```

## Output

```json
{
  "index": {
    "label": "Index"
  },
  "inputKey": {
    "label": "Input key"
  },
  "url": {
    "label": "Url"
  },
  "status": {
    "label": "Status"
  },
  "text": {
    "label": "Text"
  },
  "textTruncated": {
    "label": "Text truncated"
  }
}
```

## How it works

### 1. Sign up on Apify or log in

The OCR Text Extractor - Image & Scanned PDF to Text Actor is ready to run with the inputs already set for "Extract text from a scanned PDF". [Sign up or log in](https://console.apify.com/create-task-from-example/w7Ne1wDbKtKNtg7wF) and you'll land in Apify Console with a copy of this exact task.

### 2. Start the "Extract text from a scanned PDF" task

The OCR Text Extractor - Image & Scanned PDF to Text Actor will start running based on the input automatically. You can also change all the input fields, like language, page layout, and more, to match your specific use case.

### 3. Receive the "Extract text from a scanned PDF" output

Monitor the progress in real time. You will be notified as soon as your dataset is complete and ready for review. Each result includes data such as index, input key, url, and more.

### 4. Integrate into your workflow

The final output is delivered in JSON, CSV, or Excel format, ready to be plugged into your workflow. You can also [run the "Extract text from a scanned PDF" task via API](https://apify.com/luxe_tasks/ocr-text-extractor.md).

## FAQ

### How do I give my PDF to the Extract text from a scanned PDF task?

For the Extract text from a scanned PDF task, upload the PDF to the run's default key-value store and list it in the Files field as {"key": "your-key"}.

### How much does OCR of a scanned PDF cost?

The Extract text from a scanned PDF task costs $4 per 1,000 pages with readable text plus a start fee of $0.005 per run at the default 1 GB of memory; blank or failed pages have no per-page charge.

### Is the PDF sent to a third-party OCR service?

No. The Extract text from a scanned PDF task runs Tesseract inside the Actor; results go only to your run's default Apify storage.

## About this Actor

This example demonstrates how to use [OCR Text Extractor - Image & Scanned PDF to Text](https://apify.com/luxe_tasks/ocr-text-extractor.md) with a specific input configuration. Visit the [Actor detail page](https://apify.com/luxe_tasks/ocr-text-extractor.md) to learn more, explore other use cases, and run it yourself.


## How to integrate an Actor?

This Task's input is already configured above. Use it as-is rather than inventing a new one.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For full API examples (JavaScript, Python, CLI, MCP, OpenAPI), see this Task's Actor page: https://apify.com/luxe_tasks/ocr-text-extractor.md

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).