OCR PDF

Turn a scanned PDF into one you can search and copy from. An invisible text layer is added behind each page, which otherwise looks the same. Works in English, French, German and Spanish.

By the ScoutMyTool team · Last reviewed 14 November 2026 · How we build our tools

How do I make a scanned PDF searchable?

Choose your scanned PDF, pick the document’s language, and select Make searchable. Our server runs text recognition (Tesseract OCR) and returns the same PDF with a hidden text layer, then deletes your file. Afterwards you can search, select and copy the text.

or drag and drop it here

Processed on our server over an encrypted connection, then deleted as soon as the result is sent back.

Document language

Tells Tesseract which language model to load — pick the dominant language of your document for better recognition accuracy. Mixed-language presets enable multiple models simultaneously (slower but catches both). Server-side: requires the corresponding traineddata pack — common European languages are pre-installed. (lane-b f3ae7fd6)

How to use OCR PDF

Choose or drop your scanned PDF.
Pick the language of the document.
Select Make searchable and download the result.

How OCR works

OCR (optical character recognition) reads the letters in a picture of a page. The recognised text is placed invisibly behind the image, so the page looks unchanged but the words can be found with search and copied. Slightly tilted scans are straightened and sideways pages turned upright along the way. Clear, straight scans at 300 dpi give the best results; check names and numbers, as recognition is very good but not perfect.

Choosing the right language helps the recognition. English, French, German and Spanish are supported, including documents that mix English with one of the others.

Where your file goes

Text recognition runs on our server. Your file is processed in a temporary folder and deleted when the request ends. Files up to 50 MB are accepted; very long scans can take a minute or two.

Frequently asked questions

Will the PDF look different?

Hardly. The text layer is invisible; the only visible change is that tilted or sideways scans are straightened.

Which languages are supported?

English, French, German and Spanish, and documents mixing English with one of them.

Can I edit the text afterwards?

OCR makes the text searchable and copyable. To edit it, convert the result with PDF to Word.

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