PDF | Edit

OCR a PDF online

Add a hidden text layer to scanned PDFs so you can copy, search, and index them. Runs locally in your browser.

OCR PDF applies optical character recognition to a scanned PDF, making the text searchable and selectable. Recognition runs in your browser using WebAssembly. OCR PDF on DocTools helps you make scanned PDFs searchable with OCR, with no account needed. Drop your PDF into OCR PDF, choose your settings, and save the finished file.

Free to use
No signup
No uploads
Works offline

Why use OCR PDF

Selectable and searchable text
Preserves original visuals
Multiple language models
Files never leave your device

OCR runs on-device with WebAssembly. No page is transmitted.

How to use OCR PDF

Upload the scanned PDF Drop your scanned PDF into the tool.
Run OCR Wait for recognition to complete locally in your browser.
Download the searchable PDF Save the OCR'd PDF.

Benefits

Findable archives

Turn a folder of scans into a searchable knowledge base without a paid OCR service.

Copy-paste anywhere

Pull quotes and figures out of PDFs that used to be dead images.

Private by design

OCR runs in WebAssembly on your device; nothing uploads.

Who it is for

Legal

Making discovery scans searchable for review Outcome: Cut hours of manual reading per bundle.

Researchers

Turning a stack of scanned articles into a citable library Outcome: Search citations across the whole set.

Small businesses

Digitizing paper receipts and invoices Outcome: Query expenses without opening every file.

How it works

OCR PDF loads your PDF into memory, applies the change you requested to the underlying data rather than to a screenshot of it, and writes a fresh copy for download. Your original stays untouched on disk, and every step of OCR PDF happens inside your browser sandbox.

Frequently asked questions

Which languages are supported?

The default English model covers Latin-script languages; more languages can be added on demand.

Does OCR change the visual layout?

No. The tool overlays a text layer beneath the original image so appearance is preserved.

Does the layout survive?

Yes. The tool adds an invisible text layer over the original image so the visual layout is untouched but text is now selectable and searchable.

How accurate is it?

Typical accuracy is 95-99% on clean scans at 300 DPI. Skewed, low-DPI, or handwritten pages score lower.

Can I OCR only certain pages?

Yes. Enter a page range in options to skip covers, blanks, or already-searchable pages.

Related tools

Scan to PDF | Scan documents using your camera
Add Watermark | Stamp text across every page of your PDFs
Edit PDF | Edit text and images in your PDF

Last updated: 2026-07-09