Deskew PDFLite
Auto-deskew: estimates each page's own skew angle automatically.
Deskew PDF straightens scanned pages by measuring the skew angle of each page and rotating it back, on your device. A straightened scan reads better and recognises better in OCR.
Deskew PDF straightens pages that were scanned at a slight angle. You can nudge the rotation by hand or let it estimate the skew for you. Deskew PDF is one of UnboundPDF's 53 free browser-based PDF and image tools: it runs on your own device with no upload, no account and no watermark, and reports what it measured on the output.
How to deskew PDF — steps & common uses
Updated 18 August 2026
What people use Deskew PDF for
Anyone with crooked scans — pages that came through the scanner at an angle and need straightening before reading or OCR.
- Straighten a tilted scan
- Fix pages scanned at an angle
- Prepare crooked scans for OCR
- Level a photographed document
How to deskew PDF
- Add your PDF; the preview renders on your device and nothing is uploaded.
- Drag the angle slider to straighten the page, or click Auto-detect skew to estimate it from page one.
- Check the live preview until the text sits level.
- Click Deskew PDF, then preview and download the straightened file.
Good to know: Only pages that are actually skewed are re-rendered; straight pages keep their text.
Questions about Deskew PDF 6
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. UnboundPDF processes PDFs locally in the browser — documents are not uploaded to a server. We have no backend that receives, stores, or scans your files.
How good is the automatic detection?
It estimates each page's own skew angle automatically, typically up to about 5°, and copies already-straight pages through untouched so they keep their selectable text. The slider is ignored while "Straighten each page by its own angle" is checked (the default) — untick it first if you want to set the angle by hand instead.
Will the text still be selectable afterward?
Only on pages that actually get straightened. Those are re-rendered as images, so their selectable text is lost — expected for scans, which are already images. Pages detected as already straight are copied through untouched and keep whatever text layer they had. This only applies with "Straighten each page by its own angle" checked (the default); with it off, every page is rasterized.
Does it straighten every page or just crooked ones?
It detects each page's angle and only straightens pages that are actually skewed; already-straight pages are left untouched.
Will straightening blur my scan?
Straightened pages are re-rendered to apply the rotation, so there is a small trade-off on those pages only. Straight pages keep their original quality.
Should I deskew before running OCR?
Yes. Straight pages read far more accurately, so deskewing first improves OCR results.
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How your files are handled
The work runs on your own device, inside the browser tab — so there is no server to send your document to.
- Nothing is uploaded. We have no backend that receives or stores documents, so we cannot see your files during processing or after.
- Your device does the work. Large documents are handled in stages, pages are rendered as you reach them, and each job is checked against your device before it starts — so a long run takes longer on a phone than on a laptop, nothing is queued behind other people's jobs, and you can stop a run at any point without touching your original file.
- No account and no watermark. The output is a clean file you can use anywhere, with no sign-up and no hourly cap.
More edit tools
Other free PDF utilities that work the same way — in your browser, no sign-up.