How to OCR a PDF

A scanned PDF is really just a collection of images — the text is locked inside the pixels, so you can't select, copy or search it. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) reads those pixels, recognises the letters, and adds a real text layer on top of the scan so the document becomes searchable and selectable. This guide explains how it works and how to make a scanned PDF searchable in your browser. If your file is just too large to share, compress the PDF first; if you need to edit the text rather than just search it, convert the PDF to Word after OCR.

What is OCR?

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. It is the technology that turns text inside an image into machine-readable text your computer can understand. When you scan a paper document, the scanner produces a picture of the page — the letters are pixels, not characters. OCR software looks at those pixels, works out which letters and words they represent, and outputs real text. That text can then be searched, copied, indexed, and — when added back onto the page as an invisible layer — selected right inside the PDF viewer.

Make a PDF searchable

A "searchable PDF" keeps the original scanned page as the visual background and adds an invisible text layer on top, aligned with the words on the page. The result looks identical to the scan, but you can select text with your mouse, copy it to the clipboard, and use Ctrl+F (or your PDF reader's built-in search) to find any word in the document. This is exactly what the OCR PDF tool does — entirely in your browser, so your documents never leave your device. Once the text is selectable you can also extract specific pages or split the PDF into smaller searchable files.

How to OCR a PDF

1. Upload your PDF — drop it onto the uploader or click to browse.
2. Select the document language so the OCR engine knows which character set to expect.
3. Click Make PDF Searchable.
4. Wait for OCR processing to complete — each page is recognised in turn, with live progress shown.
5. Download your searchable PDF — the original is untouched and a new file is created.

What can OCR PDF be used for?

OCR is useful whenever you have a document that exists only as an image and you need the text inside it:

• Scanned documents — paper records digitised with a scanner or phone camera.
• Old documents — archival pages photographed or scanned years ago.
• Receipts — expense records where you need to pull out amounts or vendor names.
• Invoices — accounting documents you want to search or copy figures from.
• Forms — printed forms filled in by hand or machine that you need to digitise.
• Contracts — signed paper agreements you want to search and reference.
• Printed documents — any printed page you'd rather search than retype.
• Scanned books — chapters or pages from physical books.
• Archived paperwork — filing-cabinet documents you're bringing into a searchable archive.

Frequently asked questions

What is OCR? OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is technology that reads text inside an image and converts it into machine-readable text. It turns a scanned page — which is just a picture of words — into text you can select, copy, and search.

Can I make a scanned PDF searchable? Yes. The OCR PDF tool adds an invisible text layer on top of each scanned page, aligned with the words in the image. The result looks the same as the original but is fully searchable and selectable.

Can I copy text from a scanned PDF? After OCR, yes. The recognised text layer lets you select text with your mouse and copy it to the clipboard, or use the Extract Text option to download all recognised text as a .txt file.

Does OCR change the original PDF? No. The tool creates a new searchable PDF — your original file is never modified. You keep both: the original scan and the new searchable version.

Can OCR recognise handwritten text? OCR is designed for printed text. Handwriting varies too much between people for reliable recognition, so the tool does not claim to read handwritten content. For best results, use clear, printed documents with good contrast and lighting.

Is OCR free? The tool is free to use within the daily limit for free users. Pro subscribers get higher usage and larger file limits. Everything runs in your browser, so there is no per-page charge.

What languages are supported? English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch. More languages can be added over time — the selector is built to grow.

Are uploaded files secure? Yes. The entire OCR process runs locally in your browser — your PDF is never uploaded to a server. Nothing leaves your device, so it's safe to process sensitive documents like contracts, invoices, or personal records.