How to make a scanned PDF searchable with OCR
Updated · 4 min read
Turn scans and photos of pages into a PDF you can search and copy text from, using OCR.
Try it now: choose a file and it opens in OCR.
A scanned PDF is really a set of pictures. You can read it, but you can’t search it, copy a line from it, summarize it with AI or convert it to Word. OCR, short for optical character recognition, reads the letters in the picture and adds real text behind it.
Make it searchable
0 of 4 steps done
Get better results
- Scan or photograph the page straight, with good light and no shadows.
- Clear printed text works best. Handwriting is often not recognized.
- OCR here reads English text.
What you can do next
- Use your PDF reader’s search to find a word in seconds.
- Summarize it or ask it questions with the AI tools.
- Convert it with PDF to Word to edit the text.
Text recognition runs inside your browser, so your scans are never uploaded.
Questions people ask
Can OCR read handwriting?
Not reliably. It works best on clear printed text.
Is my scan uploaded?
No. The text is recognized inside your browser.