OCR PDF — Make Searchable
Convert a scanned PDF into a fully searchable, copy-able PDF. Your original pages are preserved visually — an invisible text layer is added so you can Ctrl+F search and copy-paste text in any PDF viewer.
OCR is slow — please be patient
Processing takes 30–60 seconds per page. A 5-page PDF may take 3–5 minutes. Do not close this tab while OCR is running.
Drop PDF here or browse
Max 20 MB · Scanned PDFs only
How It Works
Upload PDF
Drop a scanned PDF up to 20 MB. Nothing is uploaded to any server — all processing is in your browser.
Pick Language
Choose the language of the document for best OCR accuracy.
OCR Runs
Each page is rendered at high resolution. Tesseract detects every word and its exact position on the page.
Searchable PDF
The original scanned images are kept intact. An invisible text layer is placed over each word — open in any PDF viewer to search and copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my file get uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything runs entirely in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.
What is a searchable PDF?
A searchable PDF looks identical to your original scan but has an invisible text layer underneath. Open it in any PDF viewer — Adobe Acrobat, Chrome, Preview on Mac — and you can Ctrl+F to find words and drag to copy text, just like a regular digital document.
Why does the output look the same as my original?
That's correct and expected. Your original scanned images are preserved exactly as-is. The OCR text is invisible and sits beneath each word, enabling search and copy without altering the document's appearance.
Which languages produce the best results?
English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese have the most mature OCR models. Hindi, Arabic, and Chinese OCR works but accuracy depends heavily on scan resolution and font style. For non-Latin scripts, the visual PDF is always perfect — text layer searchability may vary by viewer.
Why is it so slow?
OCR is computationally intensive. The engine analyses every pixel on every page to find characters and their exact positions. This cannot be sped up without uploading your file to a server.