OCR – Make scans searchable
Detects text in scanned PDFs and adds an invisible text layer over the pages. Layout is preserved.
This conversion needs a server. Your file is sent over an encrypted connection, processed immediately, and deleted right after — within 15 minutes at the latest as a safety net.
Drop a file here
or
Choose filesPDF files only · max 80 MB
A scanned or image-based PDF becomes searchable: an invisible text layer is placed over the images. Layout stays intact.
How to
- 1
Upload PDF
Max 80 MB (signed in: 95 MB). Partially-OCR'd documents are also accepted.
- 2
Pick language
12 European languages or "Automatic" (combines the top 6). More languages = slower OCR.
- 3
Run OCR
Server runs Tesseract OCR, adds a text layer, returns the finished PDF.
Tips
- If you only expect one language, pick it — faster and more accurate than "Automatic".
- Existing text layers are skipped (`--skip-text`) — saves time on mixed documents.
Privacy and limits
Server processing. 10 jobs per 10 minutes (25 when signed in), max 80 / 95 MB. ~2-15 seconds per page depending on DPI and language. The time limit scales with file size (about 11 seconds per MB, at least 2 minutes, at most 15 — 20 when signed in).