OCR PDFMake scanned PDFs searchable with text recognition
Add a searchable text layer to scanned PDFs using optical character recognition. After OCR, you can search, select, and copy text from what was previously just an image. Select your language for best accuracy. Everything runs in your browser.
Make a Scanned PDF Searchable
Scanned PDFs are just images of pages - you cannot search, select, or copy text from them. OCR analyzes each page, recognizes the characters, and adds an invisible text layer on top. The result is a searchable PDF where you can find words with Ctrl+F, select text, and copy it to the clipboard. The visual appearance stays unchanged.
Convert Scanned PDF to Editable Text
After running OCR, the text in your PDF becomes extractable. You can then convert to Word using PDF to Word or extract tables using PDF to Excel. OCR is the essential first step for making scanned documents usable in other applications.
Multi-Language Text Recognition
Supports English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and more. Select the correct language before running OCR - this significantly improves accuracy. For best results, use clean high-resolution scans and deskew tilted pages first.
Private OCR Without Cloud Processing
Most OCR tools upload your scanned documents to remote servers. This tool runs the entire recognition engine (Tesseract.js) locally in your browser. Your medical records, legal documents, and financial statements never leave your device. No account needed, no data stored.
How to OCR a PDF Online
Upload Your Scanned PDF
Drag and drop a scanned or image-based PDF. No file size limits.
Select Language
Choose the language of the text for best recognition accuracy.
Run OCR and Download
Click OCR PDF. The searchable PDF downloads with an invisible text layer added over the original images.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does OCR do to a PDF?
It adds an invisible text layer over each page image. The PDF looks the same, but you can now search, select, and copy text that was previously just pixels.
Can I convert the scanned text to Word after OCR?
Yes. Run OCR first to make text extractable, then use PDF to Word to convert. Without OCR, Word conversion from scanned PDFs produces empty or garbled output.
How accurate is the text recognition?
Clean 300 DPI scans with standard fonts achieve very high accuracy. Lower quality scans, handwriting, or unusual fonts may have errors. Selecting the correct language helps significantly.
Does OCR change how the PDF looks?
No. The text layer is invisible. Your pages look exactly the same. You just gain the ability to search and select text.
Should I deskew before running OCR?
Yes. Tilted text confuses the recognition engine. Use Deskew PDF first if your scanned pages are crooked, then run OCR on the straightened result.
What languages are supported?
English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, and more. Select the matching language before processing.
Is my scanned document uploaded anywhere?
No. The OCR engine runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Your file never leaves your device.
Can I OCR a specific page range?
The tool processes all pages. For large documents this may take a few minutes as each page is analyzed individually.