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OCR for PDF

Turn a scanned PDF into a searchable, copyable one: the text is recognised in your browser and added as an invisible layer.

AvailableIn your browserInput: PDF

How to use: OCR for PDF

  1. Choose a scanned PDF and the language of the text.
  2. If you like, limit the pages (for example 1-5); leave it empty to read them all.
  3. Press “Make searchable”, review the recognised text and download the searchable PDF.

What it accepts and what you get

Input
A PDF of up to 25 MB, without a password, and at most 30 pages per run.
Output
A PDF with the same image on every page plus an invisible text layer so you can search and copy; also the text as .txt. The file is reopened to check it before it is offered to you.
Where your data is processed
Your data is processed in your browser and is not sent to our servers.

Limitations and notes

  • Recognition runs in your browser with Tesseract; the PDF is not uploaded.
  • Pages that already have selectable text are left alone.
  • It works on clear printed text. Handwriting, skewed pages and blurry scans read poorly: always check the text.
  • It is slow (several seconds per page) and you can cancel at any time.

Frequently asked questions

Does it change how the PDF looks?

No. The page is still the original image; the recognised text sits on top, invisible.

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