Run PDF OCR online to turn scanned images into searchable, selectable text layers. Upload a scan or photo PDF, apply optical character recognition, and download a searchable PDF for copy-paste, find, and accessibility.

OCR accuracy depends on scan quality—300 DPI, straight pages, and good contrast improve results dramatically.

Run OCR before PDF-to-Word conversion on scans; otherwise you only get images in the output document.

How to use this tool

Upload your scanned PDF, run OCR, and download the searchable output. Proofread critical numbers and names—OCR is not perfect.

Worked example

Example: OCR a 20-page scanned contract so you can search for 'termination' and copy clauses into email without retyping.

When to use this

Digitizing paper archives for search.
Preparing scans for copy-paste or translation.
Meeting accessibility requirements for text selection.

Common examples

Phone photo scan of a receipt → searchable PDF where you can copy line items in Preview.
Old faxed letter PDF → text layer added so keyword search works in document management systems.
Multi-page handwritten notes scan → OCR quality depends on scan DPI; proofread before archiving.
Five-page typed scan at 300 DPI → searchable PDF for keyword find in Preview.
Historical newspaper clip scan → expect errors on faded serif fonts; proofread names.

What people search for

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Common mistakes

OCR on skewed or low-resolution phone photos.
Trusting OCR for legal amounts without manual verification.
Expecting perfect recognition on handwriting.

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How it works

Upload a scanned or image-based PDF and extract readable text on your device. Each page is processed locally, recognized, and combined into a downloadable .txt file. Text recognition accuracy depends on scan quality.

Limitations

Text recognition accuracy depends on scan quality, fonts, and language. Review extracted text before relying on it for legal, medical, or financial decisions.

Privacy and file handling

Your data stays on your device and is not uploaded.

Related OCR PDF guides

These pages use the same ocr pdf with guides tailored to specific search intents.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does OCR work on handwriting?

Printed text works best. Handwriting recognition is limited and often inaccurate.

Will file size increase?

Searchable text layers add some size, but compression can offset the difference.

Is my document stored?

See the tool privacy note. Server-processed files are deleted automatically within about one hour.

Page last reviewed: July 6, 2026

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