Make scans searchable
Scanned multi-page contract
Input: image-only PDF
Output: searchable PDF with text layer
Result: faster find/copy and downstream AI use
PDF OCR
OCR your PDF documents for free. Convert scanned PDFs into searchable, selectable text using optical character recognition.
FreeNo signupPrivate - browser only
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How to pdf ocr
1
Upload your scanned PDF
Drag and drop the scanned document you want to make searchable.
2
Select language
Choose the language of the text in your document for optimal recognition accuracy.
3
Choose output format
Select searchable PDF (adds invisible text layer) or plain text extraction.
4
Process and download
Get a searchable PDF with selectable text or a plain text file — all processed in your browser.
Real output examples
Typical before/after outcomes for common pdf ocr workflows.
Prepare old archives for extraction
Historical receipts and forms
Input: legacy scans
Output: text-selectable documents
Result: easier indexing and analytics
About PDF OCR
PDF Shuttle's OCR tool transforms scanned PDF documents into searchable, selectable text using optical character recognition powered by Tesseract.js — running entirely in your browser. Upload a scanned document, receipt, or image-based PDF and get back a fully text-enabled version you can search, copy, and edit. Your files never leave your device.
The OCR engine supports 25+ languages and handles a wide range of print styles, from clean typeset text to slightly skewed scans. Choose between searchable PDF output (preserves the original visual layout with an invisible text layer) or plain text extraction.
Perfect for digitizing paper archives, making scanned contracts searchable, enabling text extraction from old documents, or preparing scanned PDFs for translation and AI analysis.
Why use PDF OCR
- Convert scanned PDFs into searchable documents
- Invisible text layer preserves original appearance
- Support for 25+ languages
- High accuracy on clean, high-resolution scans
- Enables text search, selection, and copying
- Preserves original page layout and images
- Plain text extraction mode available
- Processes entirely in your browser — files never leave your device
PDF OCR - Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about PDF OCR.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) converts images of text into actual selectable and searchable text. PDF OCR adds this text layer to scanned PDF documents.
Our OCR engine supports 25+ languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Hindi, and more.
No. The visual appearance stays identical. OCR adds an invisible text layer behind the images so you can select and search text without altering the look.
Accuracy depends on scan quality. Clean, high-resolution scans produce 95-99% accuracy. Low-resolution or heavily skewed scans may have lower accuracy.
The OCR adds a text layer for searching and copying. To edit the text, convert the OCR-processed PDF to Word using our PDF to Word tool.
OCR works best with printed text. Handwritten text has limited support and accuracy will vary depending on legibility.
OCR processing happens entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Your document never leaves your device — complete privacy guaranteed.
Guides for PDF OCR
Learn workflows, tips, and best practices before you process your file.
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