OCR PDF
Make text in scanned PDFs searchable and selectable.
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User Reviews & Performance
Real feedback from people using OCR PDF. Encountered a bug or formatting issue? Let us know so our team can fix it.
Based on 26 community reviews
Very straightforward. Nice clean interface and no intrusive popups or watermarks.
The output formatting stayed crisp and unchanged. Glad everything stayed private in my browser.
Worked straight away without making me create an account or wait in line. Processed my file locally in seconds.
What is this tool?
The OCR PDF tool uses Optical Character Recognition to make scanned paper PDFs searchable and selectable. When you scan a paper document, the PDF is essentially a photo. The OCR tool reads the text in the image and adds a searchable text layer so you can search (Ctrl+F) and copy text.
How does it work?
The tool runs an in-browser OCR engine on your device to analyze letters in scanned pages and inject a text layer into the PDF without sending your paperwork to third-party servers.
Examples
If you scanned a 10-page printed agreement and need to find a specific clause, running it through OCR lets you search for keywords instantly in any PDF viewer.
Step-by-step guide
- Upload Scanned PDF: Add your scanned PDF document to the box.
- OCR Processing: The browser reads text on each page.
- Download Searchable PDF: Save your updated PDF with searchable, selectable text.
Practical uses
- Searchable Records: Making scanned contracts and tax forms searchable.
- Copying Text: Extracting text from printed pages without typing manually.
- Accessibility: Enabling screen readers to read scanned documents out loud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does OCR work on handwriting?
A: OCR is optimized for printed fonts (like typed letters and books). Handwritten notes are harder to recognize accurately.
Q: Are my scanned documents uploaded to servers?
A: No. The OCR recognition runs locally in your browser.