OCR PDF
OCR PDF without uploading your scan. Recognize English, German or French text locally, then download a searchable PDF or TXT and review the words.
Use the interactive tool to choose your files and create a download. JavaScript is required for local processing. No account needed.
How to ocr pdf
- Choose a scanned PDF, up to 100 MB and 10 pages. Keep the original.
- Choose the language used on the pages: English, German or French. Select searchable PDF or plain text output.
- Recognize the text on your device, then download and check names, dates, amounts and reading order against the scan.
OCR recognizes words from rendered page images. A searchable PDF contains the rendered page and a recognized text layer; original links, interactive forms and certificate signatures are not preserved. Recognition can be wrong, especially with handwriting, faint or skewed scans, small text and complex tables. Up to 10 pages, 8 megapixels per rendered page and 80 MB of combined rendered images apply. A long job stops after five minutes; device memory can require a smaller PDF.
Before you get started
What is the difference between OCR PDF and PDF to text?
PDF to text extracts words that are already selectable. OCR PDF recognizes printed words in page images, so it can work with scans that have no text layer. Review recognized text before using or sharing it.
Which languages can I recognize?
Choose English, German or French to match the printed text. A mismatched language, mixed languages or unfamiliar characters can reduce accuracy. Handwriting recognition is not promised.
Will the scanned page become a fully editable document?
A searchable PDF keeps each rendered page as an image with a recognized text layer. You can search or copy recognized words, but original paragraphs, tables, formulas and form fields are not recreated. Use TXT for plain recognized text, or try the Word/Excel converters after reviewing the searchable PDF.
Does OCR run automatically in the other converters?
No. First run OCR PDF and review its result. PDF to Word, PDF to Excel and PDF to text use an existing selectable text layer; they do not run OCR themselves. OCR can introduce word and table-alignment errors that need checking.
Are my scans sent to a recognition server?
No. Recognition runs on this device using locally supplied engine and language assets. Ordinary page and asset requests still reach the hosting provider. Processing time and available memory vary by device.
Are my documents uploaded?
No. Selected file contents are processed in your browser. Normal page requests still reach the hosting provider. Use a trusted device and keep your originals.