OCR PDF
OCR PDF online for free — turn scanned PDFs into searchable, selectable documents. Each page keeps its original look, with an invisible text layer added so you can search, highlight and copy text. 12 languages, 100% in your browser.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Conversion happens on your device; nothing is uploaded.
OCR runs in your browser with the open-source Tesseract engine; the language data (a few MB) downloads once. The PDF keeps its original look, with an invisible text layer added so you can search, select and copy. Your PDF never leaves your device.
How to make a scanned PDF searchable
- Drop your scanned PDF here, or click to choose it.
- Choose the document language and accuracy.
- Click “Make PDF searchable” — each page is read with OCR.
- Download the searchable PDF, then try Ctrl/⌘+F.
What you can use it for
- Search inside scanned contracts, receipts and letters
- Copy text out of scanned books and papers
- Make archives findable in document-management systems
- Prepare scans for screen readers and accessibility
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See all free PDF tools →Frequently asked questions
What does OCR PDF do?
OCR (optical character recognition) reads the text in each scanned page and adds it to the PDF as an invisible layer on top of the image. The page looks exactly the same, but you can now search, select and copy the words.
Which languages are supported?
English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Indonesian and Malay. Choose the language of your document for the best accuracy.
How accurate is it?
Clean, straight scans at 200–300 DPI usually read very well. Handwriting, low-resolution photos and decorative fonts are less reliable — always check names and numbers.
What if some pages already have text?
Those pages are kept exactly as they are, so you can safely process mixed documents.
I just need the text, not a PDF
Use Image to Text (OCR) for photos and screenshots, or PDF to Text for PDFs that already have a text layer.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. OCR runs in your browser with Tesseract; only the language data is downloaded.