PDF OCR
Make scanned PDFs searchable and selectable with accurate text recognition.
- Recognition in more than 100 languages
- Original page appearance untouched
- Searchable output that indexes in Drive and SharePoint
Drag & drop your file here
orFiles are encrypted in transit and deleted automatically after processing.
About the PDF OCR tool
PDF OCR adds an invisible text layer under the scan, so the document looks unchanged but becomes searchable, selectable and copyable in any reader.
Turn scanned PDFs and image-based documents into searchable, selectable text without retyping anything. The original page appearance is kept while a hidden, searchable text layer is added behind it.
How to make a scanned PDF searchable
- 1Upload the scanned or image-based PDF you want to convert.
- 2Select the language of the document text for accurate recognition.
- 3Download the OCR-processed PDF with a searchable text layer applied.
Why add OCR to a scanned PDF
A scanned document is really just a picture of text, which means you cannot search it, copy from it, or highlight passages until OCR analyzes the page and creates a matching text layer. This is especially useful for archived paperwork, contracts, or research scans where you need to quickly find a specific word or phrase instead of reading through every page.
Recognition accuracy is highest on clean, clearly printed pages and lower on faded scans, unusual fonts, or handwriting, which OCR is not designed to reliably read. Choosing the correct document language before processing noticeably improves accuracy. The visual appearance of the page is left unchanged since only an invisible text layer is added, and the file is transferred over an encrypted connection and deleted from the server after processing, with no account needed.
Why use PDF Leader for PDF OCR
Fast
Most files are processed in a few seconds, even large ones.
Private
Encrypted transfer and automatic deletion after processing.
Any device
Runs in the browser on desktop, tablet and phone.
No limits
No watermarks, no page caps and no forced sign up.
Frequently asked questions
Does OCR change how my PDF looks?+
No, the original scanned image of each page stays exactly as it was, and OCR only adds an invisible text layer underneath so the document becomes searchable and selectable.
Which languages does the OCR support?+
The tool supports a wide range of common languages, and selecting the correct language for your document before processing improves recognition accuracy.
Can OCR read handwritten notes?+
OCR is built for printed text and generally performs poorly on handwriting, so handwritten pages may come back with few or no recognized words.
Will OCR work on a low-quality or blurry scan?+
OCR can still process blurry or low-resolution scans, but accuracy drops as image clarity decreases, so a clean scan will always give more reliable results.
Can I search and copy text after OCR is applied?+
Yes, once processing is complete you can use your PDF viewer's search function and select or copy text directly from the page just like a native digital document.
Does OCR work on multi-page documents?+
Yes, every page of the uploaded PDF is processed and given its own searchable text layer, regardless of how many pages the document contains.