OCR PDF
Make scanned PDFs and photos of documents searchable. You can then select, copy and search the text, or save it as a plain text file.
How it works
- Choose one or more scanned PDFs or photos of pages. Many files at once is fine.
- Pick the language of the text and press Make searchable. Every page is read on your device.
- Download a searchable PDF that looks exactly like the original, or copy the text.
Private by design
Most OCR websites upload your scans to a server to read them. Here the text recognition engine (Tesseract) runs inside your browser, so your contracts, invoices and letters never leave your device.
The page itself is not changed. An invisible text layer is placed exactly over the words, so the PDF looks the same as before but you can search it, select text and copy it. Pages that already contain real text are left as they are.
Tips for a good scan before OCR
OCR turns a picture of text into real text you can search, select and copy. It is useful for scanned contracts, old letters, invoices you want to find again by name, and photos of a page where you need to copy a paragraph. The better the scan, the better the result.
Scan at 300 dpi if your scanner asks, keep the page flat and straight, and make sure it is upright. When you use a phone, shoot from straight above in daylight and avoid shadows. Pick only the language the text is written in, and check numbers such as amounts and account numbers afterwards.
OCR does not read handwriting well and it does not rebuild the layout. To edit the text in Word, first make the PDF searchable here, then convert that file with PDF to Word. For quick copying, use the plain text option instead.
Questions
Is this really free and private?
Yes. There is no sign up and no limit. The text is recognised by your own browser and nothing is sent to us or anyone else.
Which languages can it read?
English and Dutch. You can choose both if a document mixes them. Choosing only the language you need is a little faster and more accurate.
How accurate is it?
Clean scans of printed text come out very well. Handwriting, very small print, blurry photos and pages that are sideways or upside down give poor results. Rotate such pages first and check important numbers.
Why does it take a while?
Reading text is heavy work and it all happens on your device. Expect a few seconds per page on a computer and longer on a phone. The first time, the reader also needs to load about 7 MB.
Can I get the text out of a photo?
Yes. Choose the photo, run it, and use Copy text or Download text to get a plain .txt file.
How do I know if my PDF needs OCR?
Try to select a word in your PDF viewer. If you cannot select it, or search finds nothing, the page is a picture and OCR will help.
Does it work offline?
After the reader has loaded once, it can keep working without a connection while the page stays open.
Something not working, or a tool you miss?