Skip to main content
Support
PDF & Documents / Make Scanned PDFs Searchable with OCR

Browse by category

All categories

Make Scanned PDFs Searchable with OCR

Run OCR on scanned PDFs in your browser via Tesseract.js to make them searchable or extract plain text. 11 languages, hidden text layer keeps the look. Free.

1
Select scanned PDF
Drop or browse a scanned/image PDF up to 50 MB.
2
Pick language and output
Choose the document's language. Pick "Searchable PDF" to keep the original look with a hidden text layer, or "Plain text" for a .txt download.
3
Run OCR
Recognition runs entirely in your browser via Tesseract.js. First run downloads a ~10 MB language pack.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different from Extract PDF Text?

Extract PDF Text only works on digital PDFs that already have a text layer (created from Word, Pages, etc.). OCR PDF works on scanned/image PDFs that are just pixels — it recognizes text from the page images.

Does my file get uploaded?

No. Tesseract.js runs entirely in your browser. The PDF and the recognized text never leave your device.

How long does it take?

Roughly 5-15 seconds per page on a modern laptop. Larger or busier pages take longer. The first page after picking a language is slower because the language pack downloads on first run.

Why are some words wrong?

OCR accuracy depends on scan quality, contrast, language, and font. Cleaner scans + the right language pack give the best results. Low-confidence words are filtered out of the searchable layer.

Tool history

Updated Jun 3, 2026 · 10 updates
  • Jun 3, 2026featper-tool OG images for all 75 tools + lengthen 20 short metas (#614)
  • May 29, 2026featmobile responsive pass + design-system consolidation (#564)
  • May 23, 2026feattips on all 60 tools + HowToTip rich-result schema (#450)
See full history →
This tool is free thanks to our sponsors. Support Loft Tools