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Make a Scanned PDF Searchable and Copyable
A scanned PDF is really just a photo of a page. You can't search it or copy a sentence out of it. OCR reads the text in each page image and embeds it as an invisible, selectable text layer.
What actually changes on the page
The visible page stays exactly the same. Only an invisible text layer gets added underneath, which is what lets you search, select, and copy text from something that used to just be a picture.
A typical use case
You've got a scanned contract or old report and need to search it for a specific clause or figure. Run OCR once, and Ctrl+F starts working on it like any normal document.
How to Use This Tool
- Upload a scanned PDF — one that's essentially just photos of pages, with no selectable text.
- Choose the document's language (English, Hindi, or both) for the most accurate text recognition.
- The tool reads each page's image and recognizes the text on it, then embeds that text as an invisible layer directly beneath the original page image.
- Download the searchable PDF — it looks identical to the original, but now every word can be selected, searched, and copied.
Tips for the Best Results
- The first run downloads the OCR language model, which can take a moment — subsequent pages and future documents process faster once it's cached.
- For mixed-language documents (say, an Indian government form combining English and Hindi text), choosing the combined language option improves recognition accuracy over picking just one.
- OCR accuracy depends heavily on scan quality — a clear, well-lit, straight scan will recognize far more accurately than a blurry photo taken at an angle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OCR change how the PDF looks?
No, only a hidden, selectable text layer is added on top of the existing page images.
Can it read handwriting?
It's built for printed text and is generally unreliable on handwriting.
Is my document sent to a server for processing?
No, recognition runs entirely on-device using Tesseract.js, an OCR engine that runs right in the browser.
Why did the first page take longer than the rest?
The OCR engine downloads its language model once, the first time you use it. Later pages process faster.
Does OCR change how the page looks?
No, the visible page stays exactly the same. Only an invisible, selectable text layer is added underneath the existing image.
Can it read handwriting?
It's built for printed text and is generally unreliable on handwritten content.
Which languages are supported?
English, Hindi, and a combined English+Hindi mode for documents that mix both.
Is my document sent to a server?
No, recognition runs entirely on your device using an in-browser OCR engine.
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