OCR PDF
Add an OCR text layer to a scanned PDF so its text becomes selectable and searchable. The page images stay untouched; the recognized text is layered on top.
On the way
OCR PDF is coming soon
Add an OCR text layer to a scanned PDF so its text becomes selectable and searchable. The page images stay untouched; the recognized text is layered on top.
We're still building this one. We'd rather not ship it until it works reliably end-to-end — no fake progress bars, no pretend success screens.
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Going deeper
From image to searchable document
Scanned PDFs are essentially a stack of images. Without OCR, you can't search for a phrase, copy text out, or use the document with screen readers. Adding an OCR text layer solves all three: the recognized text sits as an invisible layer on top of the page image, so the visual appearance is unchanged but the document becomes searchable.
OCR accuracy depends heavily on the source quality. A 300 DPI scan of a clean printed page yields 98%+ accuracy — you can search and copy confidently. A 75 DPI photo of a crumpled receipt might be 70% accurate — good enough for keyword search, not good enough for citation. Handwriting and unusual fonts are still very hard for OCR systems, including commercial ones.
For most use cases — scanned contracts, receipts, archive documents — OCR is the bridge between paper-era documents and modern text workflows. We're shipping it once our recognition pipeline reaches reliable accuracy across a wide range of scan qualities and languages.
What you get
Features
Adds an invisible text layer over scanned pages
Text becomes selectable and searchable
Multi-language support
Coming soon
Step by step
How to use
- 1
Upload a scanned PDF (no existing text layer).
- 2
Pick the document's primary language.
- 3
Click Run OCR.
- 4
Download the searchable PDF.
Your privacy
How this tool handles your file
When this tool ships, your PDF will be processed in a per-request temp directory and deleted immediately afterwards.
Read more about our security practices or see our privacy policy.
Frequently asked
Common questions
Keep going
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