Why is OCR slower than normal PDF tools?

Each page is rendered as an image and analysed by a language recognition model, which is compute intensive.

Will handwriting be recognized?

Results are best for clear printed text. Handwriting, decorative fonts and low-resolution scans may be inaccurate.

Does the document leave my device?

No. The OCR engine downloads its model, then recognition runs in your browser.

PDF Tools

OCR Searchable PDF

Recognize text in scanned PDF pages and create a searchable downloadable copy.

Free foreverRuns in your browserNo sign-up

Drop a PDF here, or click to choose

Processed locally in your browser.

About the OCR Searchable PDF

OCR Searchable PDF recognizes printed text in image-only scans and adds an invisible selectable text layer over preserved page images. It also shows the extracted text for review.

The OCR engine and chosen language model load only after you start. Processing stays in the browser, but large documents can take several minutes and use significant memory.

Key features

Searchable text layer
Extracted text preview
English, Hindi and major European languages
Lazy-loaded local OCR

How to use

1Upload a scanned PDF and choose its main language.
2Start OCR and keep the tab open while each page is recognized.
3Review the extracted text and download the searchable PDF.

Examples

Make an old scan searchable

Input: Image-only English report

Output: Searchable PDF plus extracted text

Use a clear, upright scan at roughly 300 DPI for better recognition accuracy.

Frequently asked questions

Why is OCR slower than normal PDF tools?: Each page is rendered as an image and analysed by a language recognition model, which is compute intensive.
Will handwriting be recognized?: Results are best for clear printed text. Handwriting, decorative fonts and low-resolution scans may be inaccurate.
Does the document leave my device?: No. The OCR engine downloads its model, then recognition runs in your browser.