Clean, straight scans at 300 DPI give the best results; faint or skewed pages reduce accuracy.

Does OCR change how the page looks?

No — the text layer is invisible and sits behind the original scan image.

Does the ocr scanned pdf tool work for online form and portal uploads?

Yes. It is built for portals that enforce strict file limits — exam boards, job applications, university and government forms. You control the output before you download it.

Will it work on a low-end phone or a slow mobile connection?

Yes. Files are processed inside your browser instead of being uploaded, so nothing depends on upload speed and it works on budget phones on 3G or 4G.

Is there any charge, watermark or sign-up?

No. Every tool is completely free, unlimited, watermark-free and requires no account, email or payment.

All tools

OCR a scanned PDF online — add a searchable text layer

Recognise text in scanned PDFs and photos, and add a real searchable text layer.

Drop your files here

Drag it anywhere in this area — everything stays on your device.

Guide, features and FAQ for OCR PDF online(tap to expand)

How to OCR PDF in your browser

Scanned documents are just pictures until you run OCR. Text recognition reads each page and adds an invisible, selectable text layer so the PDF becomes searchable, copyable and convertible.

1Upload the scanned PDF.
2Choose the document language.
3Run recognition and wait for it to finish.
4Download the searchable PDF.

What this OCR PDF online tool does

Real searchable text

The recognised text is embedded in the PDF, not shown in a side panel, so any viewer can search it.

Multi-page scans

Whole documents are processed page by page with progress shown as it runs.

Unlocks other tools

After OCR you can find and replace, search, or convert the scan to Word.

Why people use it

Free with no account, no email and no watermark
Runs in the browser — documents stay on your device
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS
Also great for make scanned PDF searchable and PDF text recognition free

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is OCR?: Clean, straight scans at 300 DPI give the best results; faint or skewed pages reduce accuracy.
Does OCR change how the page looks?: No — the text layer is invisible and sits behind the original scan image.
Does the ocr scanned pdf tool work for online form and portal uploads?: Yes. It is built for portals that enforce strict file limits — exam boards, job applications, university and government forms. You control the output before you download it.
Will it work on a low-end phone or a slow mobile connection?: Yes. Files are processed inside your browser instead of being uploaded, so nothing depends on upload speed and it works on budget phones on 3G or 4G.
Is there any charge, watermark or sign-up?: No. Every tool is completely free, unlimited, watermark-free and requires no account, email or payment.

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