What does OCR do to a PDF?

OCR converts scanned image-based PDFs into searchable, selectable text documents without changing their visual appearance.

How do I run OCR on a PDF?

Upload your scanned PDF, select the document language, and click Run OCR. Download the searchable PDF once processing completes.

Which languages are supported?

Over 30 languages including English, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, French, Spanish, and German.

Will OCR change how my document looks?

OCR adds a searchable text layer while aiming to keep the scanned page visible as it was. Recognition and output can vary with scan quality.

Does OCR work on handwritten text?

OCR works best on printed text. Handwriting recognition accuracy is lower and results may vary.

Yes. The OCR tool is completely free with no sign-up required.

Free · No signup

OCR PDF

Use OCR PDF to recognize text in scanned documents and images.

Drop scanned PDFs or images here

PDF · JPG · PNG · WEBP · TIFF · BMP — up to 30 files at once

Languages

Choose the main language in your scan. Add a second only for bilingual documents (for example English + Arabic). Maximum two languages.

Only English is installed on this server. Other languages appear in the list but need Tesseract language packs — run scripts/install-tesseract-langs.ps1 locally or redeploy the VPS.

Document language

Second language (optional)

OCR options

Mode

Render DPI

Auto-rotate pagesDetect and fix upside-down / sideways scans.

Despeckle (median filter)Slows things down a little; helps very noisy scans.

Binarise (threshold)Converts to pure black/white. Good for faded text.

SSL encryptedProcessing details provided

How to Use OCR PDF

Step-by-step instructions

Add a scanned or image-based PDF.
Select the document language before starting OCR.
Click Run OCR and let RashPDF prepare a searchable PDF with selectable text.

Benefits

Makes scanned pages searchable with Ctrl+F.
Lets users copy text from documents that were previously only images.
Improves accessibility for archived paper documents.

File details and settings

Accepted input: a scanned or image-based PDF
Result: a searchable PDF with selectable text
Setting to review: select the document language before starting OCR
Best-result check: Choose the correct language and use clear scans with straight, high-contrast text. The PDF should look the same visually; OCR adds a text layer and accuracy depends on scan clarity.
Processing and privacy: OCR PDF sends a scanned or image-based PDF to the RashPDF conversion service because this task needs server-side processing. The service returns a searchable PDF with selectable text to your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a scanned PDF searchable?

Add a scanned or image-based PDF, select the document language before starting OCR, then click Run OCR. RashPDF creates a searchable PDF with selectable text for you to download.

How can I choose the correct OCR language?

Select the document language before starting OCR.

How should I check OCR text from a low-quality scan?

Choose the correct language and use clear scans with straight, high-contrast text. The PDF should look the same visually; OCR adds a text layer and accuracy depends on scan clarity.

Which files work with OCR PDF?

This tool is intended for a scanned or image-based PDF. The upload control lists the file extensions accepted by this workflow.

About this tool

About OCR PDF

Use OCR PDF to recognize text in scanned documents and images. Upload a file, select its language, and download a searchable, selectable result.

The PDF should look the same visually; OCR adds a text layer and accuracy depends on scan clarity. After creating a searchable PDF with selectable text, you can convert the searchable PDF to Word, compress it, or merge it with other records.

Step-by-step guide

Run OCR on a PDF to Make Scans Searchable