PDF

OCR PDF

Make scanned PDFs searchable with OCR.

Add an invisible, searchable text layer to scanned pages so you can search, select and copy the text, with the page still looking the same. Encrypted in transit.

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Size up to 100 MB

How do I use OCR PDF?

1
Drop your scanned PDF into the box above. It opens in the editor with PDF (searchable OCR) already selected as the export format. Files up to 100MB work.
2
Review the pages loaded in the editor, removing any you don't want OCR'd.
3
Click Export PDF (searchable OCR). The text in each page image is read and an invisible text layer is added.

Frequently asked questions

What does OCR actually change in my PDF?

Visually, nothing. Your pages keep their original scanned appearance. OCR adds a hidden layer of recognized text behind the image, which is what lets you search, select, and copy. Screen readers and PDF indexing tools can then read the document too.

How accurate is the text recognition?

Clean scans of printed text at 300 DPI or higher recognize very reliably. Accuracy drops with blurry or low-resolution scans, skewed pages, small type, or heavy background noise. Proofread anything critical. A stray character in a number or name is easy to miss.

Does it work on handwriting?

OCR is built for printed and typed text, so handwriting is unreliable: neat block capitals may partially recognize, while cursive usually does not. For handwritten notes you will get better results retyping the content than trying to recover it automatically.

What can I do with the PDF after OCR?

Once the text layer exists, other converters can use it: run the result through PDF to Word for an editable document or PDF to Excel to pull out tables.

Last updated: July 8, 2026