Searchable PDF (OCR)FREE

Read the text in a scanned PDF so you can search, select and copy it. The pages look exactly the same.

Drop a PDF here

PDF. Up to 200 MB.

Stays on your device

Reads printed English text. Handwriting, other languages and very poor scans are not read reliably.
The first use downloads up to 7 MB of reading data from this site, which your browser then keeps in its normal cache.
OCR can misread characters, so check names, numbers and amounts that matter.

Questions about Searchable PDF (OCR)

Yes. It is free to use, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how often.

No. It runs in your browser, so your files stay on your device and are never sent to us or anyone else. Privacy notice

PDF in, PDF out. Up to 200 MB per file, 50 files at a time, 2,000 pages.

Step by step, and if something goes wrong

Add a scanned PDF.
Select Make searchable. Each page is read on this device, which takes a few seconds a page.
Download the searchable copy. It looks the same, but you can now search, select and copy its text.

Pages that already have text are left alone unless you tick Read every page.
Straight, clear scans at 300 dpi read best. Photos taken at an angle or in poor light read worse.
Only printed English text is read. Handwriting is not.
Check names, numbers and amounts that matter: OCR can misread characters, such as 0 and O.
Password-protected PDFs can’t be opened directly. If you know the password, remove it first with Unlock PDF.
If a PDF is reported as damaged, try opening it and saving a fresh copy with your PDF reader.
Scripts, embedded attachments and automatic actions are removed from the output for safety. Links to websites are kept.