OCR PDF Online Free
Convert scanned PDFs into fully searchable, copy-pasteable documents. AI-powered OCR recognizes text in 40+ languages and embeds it invisibly behind the scan so the document looks identical but becomes searchable.
Drop your scanned PDF here
or click to browse — .PDF files supported
PDF · Max 50 MB free · Up to 200 MB with Pro
document.pdf
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Document Language
No account required · Files processed securely and deleted in 24h
Running OCR…
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OCR Complete!
Text recognized and embedded. Your PDF is now fully searchable.
Download document-ocr.pdfUnlock Pro — 40+ languages, batch OCR, files up to 200 MB
Arabic · Chinese · Japanese · Korean · Russian · Hindi & more
How It Works
Make any scanned PDF searchable in three steps
Upload Scanned PDF
Upload any scanned PDF — flatbed scans, camera photos converted to PDF, or image-only PDFs where text cannot be selected.
Choose Language & Mode
Select the document language for best accuracy. Choose whether to get a searchable PDF, plain text extract, or an editable Word file.
Download Searchable PDF
The OCR engine embeds an invisible text layer behind your scan. Press Ctrl+F to search, or select and copy text just like a native PDF.
OCR Features
Powered by AI text recognition
40+ Languages
Recognizes text in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and 30+ more.
Invisible Text Layer
The searchable PDF looks identical to the original scan. Text is embedded as an invisible layer that can be searched, selected, and copied.
AI Preprocessing
Auto-deskew corrects tilted scans. Noise reduction cleans up low-quality scans. Both dramatically improve OCR accuracy.
Multiple Output Formats
Choose searchable PDF (original appearance preserved), plain text extract (.txt), or editable Word document (.docx) with layout reconstruction.
Multi-Page PDFs
OCR is applied to every page in the PDF simultaneously. All pages become searchable in a single operation, however large the document.
100% Private & Secure
Files are encrypted in transit, processed in isolated containers, and deleted within 24 hours. We never read or retain your document content.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The "searchable PDF" mode adds an invisible text layer behind the original scan pixels. The visual appearance is completely unchanged — fonts, layout, images, and formatting look exactly the same as before.
For clean, high-resolution scans (300+ DPI) with standard fonts, accuracy is typically 98–99% per character. Lower-quality scans, handwriting, or unusual fonts may produce lower accuracy. Enabling auto-deskew and noise reduction significantly improves results on difficult scans.
Our standard OCR is optimized for printed text. Handwriting recognition (ICR) is available for Pro users as a separate option. Results vary significantly with handwriting quality — clear block printing works best.