OCR PDF

Detect texts on PDF documents quickly and make them selectable and searchable

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How to OCR a PDF in 3 Simple Steps

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Upload a PDF

Pick a PDF from your device and upload it.

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Recognize Text

Recognize the characters on PDF images and graphs.

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Get Selectable Text

Easily download and work with selectable text in a PDF or Text file.

What is OCR PDF?

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. Simply put, OCR software reads text from images and turns them into searchable and editable text.


OCR PDF is basically an OCR tool for PDF. Free PDF OCR online tools follow these simple steps for PDF text recognition:


  • Scan or Capture: A device (like a scanner or camera) creates a digital image of the document.
  • Clean the Image: The software removes spots, straightens lines, and fixes any tilt so letters are clear.
  • Recognize Each Character: It compares each letter shape (glyph) to patterns it knows—or uses advanced machine learning to identify text in different fonts or languages.
  • Create Editable Text: Finally, it saves the recognized words in a new file format you can search, copy, or modify.

Modern OCR can handle multiple languages as well as handwritten text.

What is OCR PDF
Why OCR a PDF

Why OCR a PDF?

OCR PDF technology makes life easier whenever you need to handle scanned documents or images with text. Here are some common ways people use it:


  • Searching Documents: Turn large scanned PDFs into searchable files so you can quickly find names, dates, or keywords.
  • Editing Old Documents: Convert historical records, typed reports, or photocopied notes into digital text that you can edit like a normal file.
  • Archiving and Organizing: Keep digital libraries of old paperwork, making it easy to store, catalog, and retrieve data.
  • Extracting Data: Copy text out of images for reuse in spreadsheets, databases, or other documents without retyping.
  • Translating and Sharing: After conversion, you can translate text into different languages or share it more easily with teammates or friends.

OCR PDF tools save time and effort by making scanned files easy to search, edit, and share. Whether you’re a student, researcher, or business owner, OCR helps you organize your documents and do more work faster.

Key Features of our PDF OCR

Accurate Results

Accurate Results

Accurately detects most texts, including texts on images, tables, and graphs of PDF documents.

Fast Processing

Fast Processing

Process large files quickly to enhance your document management workflow.

Multilanguage detection

Multilanguage detection

It correctly detects standard languages, handwritten text, mathematical signs, Unicode, and glyphs.

Use from Any Device

Use from Any Device

Compatible with PC, Mac, iPhone, and Android. Works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

Secure and Private

Secure and Private

Your files are secure. All documents are deleted shortly after processing to ensure privacy.

Easily Use for Free

Easily Use for Free

Access the tool online for free. No signup or software installation is required.

Additional Tools for Working with PDFs

CopyChecker is your go-to platform for managing your PDFs effectively. Explore free PDF tools powered by CopyChecker:

  • PDF Editor:  Make more advanced changes to your PDF, such as editing text and images.
  • PDF to Text: Try our PDF to Text tool to extract text from PDF documents.
  • PDF to Word: To preserve images and text formatting of the document, convert your documents to a Word file.
Additional Tools

FAQs about OCR PDF

How many times can I use this tool for free?

As many as you want, the input file must be under 10 MB each time.

Can I upload files from cloud storage?

Yes. You can directly upload files from your Dropbox folder.

Does it detect other languages?

Yes! It accurately detects other languages as well as emojis and symbols.

What about password-protected PDFs?

Unlock the PDF by entering the password first. Then, convert it.

A Visual Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to recognize text on a PDF and download the file.

Step 1: Upload Your File

  • Click the Upload PDF File button to select your document from your device, or simply drag and drop the file into the designated area. This initiates the OCR process.
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Step 2: Select Language

Choose the language(s) of the text in your PDF by selecting from the available options. You can select up to three languages for more accurate detection. Once your selection is made, click Recognize Text to proceed.

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Step 3: Choose the Output Format

After the tool detects the text, select your preferred output format. Depending on your needs, You can choose either of the options:

  • PDF file (.pdf)
  • Text file (.txt)
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Step 4: Download the File

  • Click the Download button to save the resulting file to your device. The file will now contain selectable and searchable text, ready for further editing or use.
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Need help writing flawlessly? Try our Grammar checker for free.

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