How to make a scanned PDF searchable and copy its text

Upload the scan to OCR / Searchable PDF, choose Extract Text or Make Searchable PDF, pick the language, and download the result. OCR on scans and images is a Pro feature; text in ordinary PDFs is read for free.

Step by step

1. Open the OCR tool and upload your scanned PDF, or a JPG or PNG photo of the page.
2. Choose what you want: Extract Text gives a .txt file; Make Searchable PDF keeps the scan and adds a text layer you can search.
3. Pick the language of the document. This only matters for scans and images.
4. Click "Run OCR" and download the result.
5. Check the output against the original, especially names, numbers and anything in a table.

Is it a scan or a normal PDF?

A quick test: open the PDF and try to select a word with your cursor. If you can, it already contains real text and does not need OCR. Extracting that text is free for everyone and instant. If you cannot select anything, it is a picture of text, and that needs OCR.

Getting the best accuracy

• Scan at around 300 dpi, straight on, with good light and no shadows.
• Make sure pages are the right way up. Rotate sideways pages first with the rotation guide.
• Choose the correct language. English, Hindi, Spanish, French, German and Chinese (Simplified) are available.
• Expect to proofread. Handwriting, faint print and busy backgrounds are where OCR makes mistakes.

Which output should you choose?

• Extract Text: you only want the words, for example to paste into a document.
• Make Searchable PDF: you want to keep the original look of the scan but be able to search it and select text.
• Which plan: reading text from regular PDFs is free. OCR on scans and images, and the searchable PDF output, need the Pro plan.

Frequently asked questions

What is OCR?

Optical character recognition. It reads the letters in a picture of a page and turns them into real text you can search, select and copy.

What is a searchable PDF?

A PDF that looks like the original scan but has an invisible text layer on top, so you can search it and copy words from it.

Is OCR free?

Extracting text from a regular PDF is free. OCR for scanned PDFs and images, and creating a searchable PDF, are Pro features.

How accurate is it?

It depends on the scan. Clean, straight, high-resolution pages give the best results; blurry, skewed or handwritten pages are weaker. Always proofread important text.

Which languages are supported?

English, Hindi, Spanish, French, German and Chinese (Simplified).

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