PDF to OCR
Convert scanned PDF to OCR text and a searchable PDF with selectable words
100% free. Runs entirely in your browser - your files and data never leave your device and nothing is uploaded to any server.
Drop your scanned PDF here or click to upload
PDF only · max 15 MB · max 15 pages · runs on your device
Best for scanned or image-only PDFs. If you can already select text, use PDF to Text instead. For photos (not PDF), use OCR to PDF.
About this tool
This free PDF to OCR converter reads scanned or image-only PDFs with on-device optical character recognition. You get extracted plain text and a searchable PDF with an invisible text layer so Find and copy work in any reader. If you can already select text in the original, use PDF to Text instead - OCR is for pages that are pictures of text. Files up to 15 MB and 15 pages are supported. Nothing is uploaded.
How to use this tool
- Add a scanned PDF (max 15 MB, 15 pages)Drop the file in or browse. Image-only or scanned pages convert best.
- Convert to OCRPages are rendered, then recognised with Tesseract entirely in your browser.
- Download resultsGet a .txt of all pages, and optionally a searchable PDF with the OCR layer.
- ProofreadCheck figures, names and unusual words against the scan.
OCR a scanned PDF and make it searchable
A scanned PDF is a set of photos of pages. It looks like text, but a PDF reader only sees images, so search, copy and screen readers find nothing. Running OCR on the PDF recognises the letters in each page image and adds them back as an invisible text layer behind the picture. The result is a searchable PDF that looks exactly like the scan, where Ctrl+F finds words and you can select and copy sentences.
Choose "Convert to OCR + searchable PDF" to get both the searchable PDF and the recognised text, or "Text only" to turn the scanned PDF into a plain .txt file. The OCR runs on your own device, so the document is never uploaded - which matters for contracts, invoices and ID scans. Files up to 15 pages and 15 MB are supported; split a longer document first.
Get better OCR results from a scanned PDF
- Scan at 300 DPI in black and white or greyscale - lower resolutions blur small letters and numbers.
- Keep pages straight and flat; a tilted or curved page from a phone photo is the main cause of misread words.
- Crop dark borders and shadows before scanning, because the OCR tries to read them as characters.
- Proofread numbers, names and amounts after conversion - a 5 read as an S matters far more on an invoice than in a letter.
- For a document longer than 15 pages, split it, run each part, and join the text afterwards.
Key features
- Extracts text from scanned PDFs that have no text layer.
- Rebuilds a searchable PDF so Find works in Acrobat, Preview and Chrome.
- Runs on your device - private for contracts and IDs.
- Same OCR engine as OCR Image to Text for consistent quality.
- Validates PDF type, size and page count before processing.
- Free, no account and no watermark.
- Up to 15 MB and 15 pages.
Common uses
- Making an old scanned contract searchable.
- Copying text out of a camera-scanned PDF.
- Preparing archives so documents can be found by keyword.
- Turning fax-style PDF dumps into usable text.
- Converting a scan pack into both .txt and a searchable PDF.
Tips for better results
- If text is already selectable, skip OCR and use PDF to Text.
- Split PDFs over 15 pages first for reliable runs.
- Higher-quality scans OCR better - re-scan if the file is tiny or muddy.
- Unlock password-protected PDFs before converting.
- For loose photos instead of a PDF, use OCR to PDF.
Mistakes to avoid
- Running OCR on a digital PDF that already has a text layer.
- Expecting perfect handwriting recognition.
- Sending a password-protected PDF without unlocking it first.
- Trying a 200-page scan in one go - split it.
- Uploading a renamed non-PDF file - the tool rejects invalid files.
Supported formats
Available options
- OCR language
- Searchable output
Frequently asked questions
Add a scanned PDF up to 15 MB (max 15 pages) and convert. Download the extracted text and, if you choose, a searchable PDF.
Yes. No account, trial limit or watermark.
No. Rendering and OCR run entirely in your browser.
PDF to Text copies an existing text layer. PDF to OCR recognises characters from page images when there is no text layer.
Yes if you choose OCR + searchable PDF. The download keeps the page look and adds an invisible text layer.
15 MB and 15 pages. Use Split PDF for larger files.
For loose images, use OCR to PDF or OCR Image to Text. This tool is for PDF input.
Clean printed scans are typically very accurate. Skewed, dark or low-resolution pages need proofreading, especially for numbers.
The tool checks the file type and structure first and warns you if the file may disturb the data, instead of producing a broken result.
Yes - same tool. The page is named PDF to OCR to match PDF to Word / Excel / PowerPoint.
It uses an English recognition model, so it works best on English text; accented letters in other languages may need correcting. For Urdu documents, use the Urdu OCR tool, which uses a model trained on Nastaliq script.
Open it and try to select a word or press Ctrl+F to search for one. If you cannot select or find any text, the pages are images and need OCR. If you can, the PDF already has a text layer - use PDF to Text to extract it instantly.