OCR PDF
Turn a scanned PDF into a searchable one. The text is recognized in your browser and placed invisibly on top of each page, so the pages look the same but you can search, select and copy the words. Your file never leaves your device.
or drop a PDF here
Drop your PDF to open it
Your file stays on this device and is never uploaded.
Up to 50 MB and 100 pages per file.
Your PDF is now searchable
- Pages recognized
- Already had text
- No text found
- Words found
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Pages stay the same
The text layer is invisible, so scans keep their original look and quality.
Search, select, copy
Find words with Ctrl+F and copy text out of a scanned document.
Private by design
Recognition runs on your device, with no upload.
Free to use
No sign-up, no watermark, no software to install.
Why use DailyOnWeb to OCR PDFs?
30 languages
Pick one language, or two for mixed documents, including right-to-left scripts.
Only scanned pages
Pages that already have text are skipped, so nothing is changed that does not need to be.
Files stay private
Your documents are never uploaded to a server.
Free to use
No sign-up and no watermark.
Make a Scanned PDF Searchable Online for Free
A scanned PDF is only a set of pictures, so you cannot search it or copy anything from it. OCR (optical character recognition) reads the words in those pictures and adds them back to the file as text, right in your browser.
How to OCR a PDF
- Select the scanned PDF, or drop it on the page.
- Choose the language of the text, and a second one if the document mixes two.
- Pick Accurate or Fast, then click Make searchable.
- Download the searchable PDF, or the recognized text as a .txt file.
How it works
Each page is drawn at high resolution and read by an OCR engine. The recognized words are then placed invisibly over the original page at the position where they were found. The scan itself is not recompressed or redrawn, so it keeps its original quality.
Tips for better results
- Choose the right language first. It has the biggest effect on accuracy.
- Use Accurate for small print, tables and older documents.
- Straight, sharp, well-lit scans give the best text. Handwriting is not supported.
A PDF tool that respects your privacy
Scanned documents often contain personal details. This tool works inside your browser, so the file is never sent to a server.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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