OCR PDF
Make scanned PDFs searchable and selectable with optical character recognition.
Select or drop your file
PDF files — add several to process in one batch
Batch: up to 5 files at once · Premium for 100
Processed locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
A scanned PDF looks like a document but behaves like a photo: you can't select the text, search it, or copy a sentence out. OCR (optical character recognition) reads the letters in those images and layers real, selectable text behind them — so the page looks identical but suddenly becomes searchable and copyable. Everything is recognised in your browser, so private scans stay private.
How to ocr pdf
- 1. Upload the scanned or image-based PDF.
- 2. Pick the language of the document so recognition is as accurate as possible.
- 3. Run OCR, then download a searchable PDF with a selectable text layer.
When to use OCR PDF
Make an archive searchable
Turn a folder of scanned contracts or invoices into documents you can actually search by keyword.
Copy text out of a scan
Recover quotes, numbers or addresses from a scanned page without retyping them.
Meet accessibility needs
A real text layer lets screen readers voice a document that was previously just a picture.
Recognition accuracy depends on the scan
OCR is only as good as the image it reads. A clean, straight scan at 300 DPI recognises far better than a skewed phone photo in dim light. Choosing the correct language matters too — it tells the engine which characters and accents to expect, which is especially important for languages with diacritics.
Frequently asked questions
What languages are supported?
The tool covers a wide range of languages; pick yours before running OCR so accents and special characters are recognised correctly.
Will the page look different afterwards?
No. The original image is kept and the recognised text is placed invisibly behind it, so the page looks the same but is now searchable.
Why isn't every word recognised perfectly?
OCR accuracy drops on blurry, low-resolution or skewed scans and on unusual fonts. A cleaner, higher-resolution source gives noticeably better results.
Does my document get uploaded?
No — recognition happens in your browser, so even confidential scans never leave your device.