OCR PDF
Make scanned PDFs searchable and selectable in over 100 languages.
or drop files here
Free: files up to 50 MB · 1 file per task · up to 30 pages per task · 15 of 15 free tasks left today. See plans
Files are encrypted in transit and deleted after 2 hours. You can delete them sooner.
OCR (optical character recognition) reads the text in a scanned PDF and adds it as an invisible, searchable layer, so you can search, select and copy text while the page looks the same.
How to OCR a PDF in 3 steps
- 1
Choose your scanned PDF or images, or drop them anywhere on the page.
- 2
Pick the document languages, up to three.
- 3
Select Make searchable (OCR) and download the searchable PDF, and the text file if you asked for it.
What can OCR PDF do?
- More than 100 languages, including Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Indic scripts, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
- Searchable PDF with an invisible text layer, so pages look exactly as before.
- Optional plain text file. Optional PDF/A-2b output.
- Straightens tilted pages and turns sideways pages upright.
- Skip pages that already have text, redo old OCR, or force a fresh scan.
- Try OCR on page 1 in your browser first. It runs on your device and does not use a task.
What is PDF OCR?
PDF OCR (optical character recognition) reads the pictures of text in a scanned PDF and adds that text to the file, so you can search, select and copy it. Without OCR, a scan is just an image of a page. Afterwards screen readers can use the text too, and the page looks exactly as before.
How do I make a scanned PDF searchable?
To make a scanned PDF searchable, add it to OCR PDF, pick the document languages and select Make searchable (OCR). Tilted pages are straightened and sideways pages turned upright along the way. If the PDF already has text, we tell you and do not count the task; choose Redo OCR to replace an old text layer.
Can I check the result before running OCR?
Yes. Try OCR on this page recognises page 1 on your device and shows the text with copy and download buttons, so you can check the language before running the full file. Nothing is uploaded for the quick check. Once the text is recognised, you can edit it in Word with PDF to Word or hide sensitive parts with Redact PDF.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to OCR a PDF?
To OCR a PDF means to run optical character recognition on it, so the text in scanned pages becomes real text you can search, select and copy. The page keeps its original look because the text is added as an invisible layer.
Can you OCR a PDF for free?
Yes. OCR PDF is free with daily tasks, and the Try OCR quick check on page 1 runs in your browser without using a task. File size, page count and tasks per day depend on your plan and are shown on the page before you upload.
How can I convert a PDF to text?
Turn on the plain text file option in OCR PDF to get a .txt file next to the searchable PDF. If your PDF already has a text layer, PDF to Text extracts it without OCR.
How accurate is OCR?
Clean scans of printed text are recognised very well. Poor scans, small print and handwriting are less reliable, and handwriting is often not recognised, so check important text before you rely on it.
Which languages should I pick?
Pick the languages the document is written in, up to three, for example English and German. Choosing the right ones improves accuracy.
Can I OCR photos and images?
Yes. JPG, PNG and TIFF images are turned into a searchable PDF. Files are processed on our servers and deleted automatically after 2 hours.
Related tools
Last updated October 23, 2026