Privacy policy

Handwriting To Text (penciltotext.com) converts photos and scans of handwriting into digital text. This page explains what happens to the files you upload. In short: we don't keep them.

What we process

There are two ways to convert a page.

• Fast OCR runs entirely in your browser. Your pages are never uploaded. The only thing downloaded is the OCR engine and its language data.
• AI scan: your browser resizes the page and converts it to JPEG, then sends it to our server, which forwards it to our AI provider, Anthropic, to read the handwriting. If you have a "My words" list, it is sent along with each page so names and terms are read correctly. The text that comes back is sent to your browser.

What we store

• We do not store your images or the converted text on our servers.
• We do not ask for an account, email address or name.
• If you consent, we collect usage statistics with Google Analytics, as described below.
• To prevent abuse we use your IP address for rate limiting and bot protection (Cloudflare Turnstile). We do not build profiles from it.
• To apply the daily AI scan allowance (10 pages a day), we store a counter keyed by a one-way hash of your IP address and the date. We never store the IP address itself, and the counter is deleted automatically after two days.
• Standard technical logs (such as error messages) may be kept for a short time to keep the service running. They do not contain your images.

Our AI provider

Images are processed by Anthropic's API under its commercial terms. Anthropic does not use API inputs to train its models, and it may keep them for a limited period for safety and abuse monitoring. See Anthropic's privacy policy for details.

Data kept in your browser

Your last few conversions (the page images and text) are saved in your browser's local storage (IndexedDB) so you can reopen them. This data never leaves your device. You can delete it with "Clear history" below the converter, or by clearing your browser's site data. Your light or dark theme choice is saved the same way.

Your "My words" list, including the corrections you make when reviewing unsure words, is saved in your browser's local storage. It is sent to us only together with an AI scan, as described above, and is not stored on our servers. You can edit it or remove corrections in the "My words" window, or delete it by clearing your browser's site data.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, to understand how people find and use the site, for example which pages are visited, how long visits last, the type of device and browser, and the approximate location (country or city) derived from your IP address. Google Analytics only runs if you accept it in the cookie banner. It then sets cookies in your browser to tell visits apart. This data is sent to and processed by Google, including on servers outside your country, such as in the United States. We use it only in aggregate to improve the site; we do not use it for advertising.

Google Analytics never receives your uploaded pages, the converted text or your "My words" list. You can withdraw your consent at any time with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of every page. You can also block Google Analytics with a browser extension or content blocker, or with Google's opt-out browser add-on. See how Google uses information from sites that use its services and Google's privacy policy for details.

Cookies

Google Analytics sets cookies only with your consent, as described above. Your cookie choice itself is saved in your browser's local storage. We do not use advertising cookies. Cloudflare may set strictly necessary cookies for security and bot protection.

Children

The service is not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from them.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the service changes. When we do, we'll change the "Last updated" date above.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email hello@penciltotext.com or visit our contact page.