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OCR PDF

Optical character recognition reads the text in scanned pages and adds it to the PDF as an invisible layer. The pages look the same, but you can now search, select and copy the words.

Works in your browserNo file upload needed

Drop your PDF file here

or choose from your device

PDF

How to make a scanned PDF searchable

  1. 1Choose a scanned PDF.
  2. 2Keep “Skip pages that already have text” on to save time on mixed documents.
  3. 3Press Make searchable; the first run downloads the recognition engine.
  4. 4Download the searchable PDF.

Features

  • Text layer is placed exactly over the words on the page.
  • Skips pages that already contain text.
  • Runs on your device; the scan is never uploaded.

When to use OCR PDF

  • Search inside scanned contracts, letters and receipts.
  • Prepare a scan for PDF to Word, PDF to Excel or Chat with PDF.
  • Copy a paragraph from a photographed page.

Good to know

  • Recognition is tuned for English text.
  • Handwriting and very low-resolution or skewed scans give poor results.
  • Your files are processed in your browser and never uploaded to a server.
  • Free to use with no sign-up, no limit on tasks and no watermark on your files.

Frequently asked questions

Does OCR change how my PDF looks?

No. The original page images stay the same; the recognised text sits invisibly on top of them.