PDF OCR - Make Scanned PDFs Searchable Online Free

Add searchable text to scanned PDFs — choose Fast or Quality OCR

Sign up free → get 500 Pro Credits that never expire Pro credits unlock Now Pro File size 50 MB → 1 GB Per batch 50 → 1,000 Priority processing Web + API access Credits never expire When spent, free limits resume.

Drop PDF Files Here

50 MB per file Up to 50 files 3 parallel conversions 1 credit per page

Encrypted AI-Powered EU Servers Auto-delete 1h

⚡ Median OCR time (last 10k jobs): 222ms per page

OCR: Fast

Mode

Choose speed or maximum accuracy

How it works

1 · Drop your files
Drag & drop or choose PDF files. No account required on Free—paid plans unlock bigger batches, higher limits, and priority queues.
2 · We OCR securely
Fast mode uses Tesseract OCR on our servers for instant results on clean scans (1 credit/page). Quality mode uses Azure Document Intelligence with 293 language support for tables, handwriting, and complex layouts (5 credits/page). Encrypted in transit & at rest.
3 · Download & auto-delete
Grab your searchable PDFs in seconds. Text is now selectable and searchable. Files delete automatically after 1 hour. Delete anytime after downloading with one click.

About PDF →

PDF (Portable Document Format) is Adobe's universal document standard, designed to present text, images, and layout consistently across any device or platform. First released in 1993 and later standardized as ISO 32000, PDF supports vector graphics, embedded fonts, forms, annotations, and encryption. It has become the de facto format for document exchange, digital publishing, and archival—billions of PDFs are created daily worldwide.

Learn more: PDF on Wikipedia

PDF excels at preserving document fidelity and works universally—every operating system and browser includes native PDF support. For long-term archival or regulatory compliance, PDF/A is the appropriate variant.

About OCR →

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) extracts text from scanned documents and images. We use Microsoft Azure Document Intelligence — an industry-leading AI service trusted by Fortune 500 companies — achieving up to 99% accuracy on clear scans with support for 293 languages.

The OCR process adds an invisible text layer to your document while preserving the original scanned images. This makes your files fully searchable (Ctrl+F works!) and allows copy-paste of text content.

Learn more: OCR on Wikipedia

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PDF OCR and when do I need it?

PDF OCR adds a searchable text layer to scanned documents. If you have a PDF that's essentially an image of text (created from a scanner, fax, or camera), OCR makes it searchable and allows you to select and copy text. You need OCR when: you can't highlight or search text in your PDF, the file was created from scanning paper documents, or you want to archive documents with searchable content.

What's the difference between Fast and Quality mode?

Fast mode uses Tesseract OCR (1 credit/page) — runs on our servers, instant results, ideal for clean printed scans and standard documents. Quality mode uses Azure Document Intelligence (5 credits/page) — maximum accuracy for tables, handwriting, complex layouts, and 293+ languages with automatic language detection.

Can I OCR multiple PDFs at once?

Yes—batch processing is our specialty. Drop up to 50 PDF files at once. We process 3 files in parallel, so large batches complete faster than sequential tools. All outputs are bundled for easy download. Files auto-delete after 1 hour.

What about password-protected PDFs?

Not supported. Password-protected or encrypted PDFs cannot be processed. Remove the password protection first using Adobe Acrobat or another PDF tool, then re-upload. Unprotected PDFs work instantly.

How long does OCR take?

Fast mode: sub-second per page on clean scans — a 10-page document finishes in under 5 seconds. Quality mode: roughly 3 seconds per page, so a 10-page document takes about 30 seconds. High-resolution scans and complex layouts may take longer. You can track progress in real-time as each file completes.

Will OCR change how my document looks?

No. OCR adds an invisible text layer behind the original scanned images. The visual appearance of your PDF remains exactly the same—same fonts, same layout, same images. The only difference is that you can now search, select, and copy text that was previously just pixels.

What languages are supported?

Azure Document Intelligence supports 293 languages and scripts — far more than open-source alternatives. Includes Latin, Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean), Cyrillic, Arabic, Hebrew, and more. Auto-detection identifies the primary language automatically.

Does OCR process every page, even those with existing text?

Yes. Every page is OCR'd regardless of whether it already has selectable text. This ensures consistent, accurate results across the entire document — especially useful when existing text layers are inaccurate or garbled.

How accurate is the OCR?

Fast mode (Tesseract): excellent for clean, high-resolution printed scans — typically 95%+ accuracy on standard documents. Quality mode (Azure Document Intelligence): up to 99% accuracy, industry-leading for complex layouts, tables, handwriting, and non-Latin scripts. Choose Fast for straightforward documents and Quality when accuracy is critical.

When should I use Quality mode?

Choose Quality mode (Azure Document Intelligence) when your documents have:

Tables or forms — Azure preserves table structure during OCR
Handwritten text — far superior handwriting recognition
Non-Latin scripts — 293 languages including CJK, Arabic, Hebrew, Cyrillic
Complex layouts — multi-column, mixed content, annotations

For clean printed scans, Fast mode (Tesseract) delivers excellent results at 1 credit/page.

Where are my documents processed?

Fast mode: processed entirely on our EU servers using Tesseract OCR. Quality mode: processed via Azure Document Intelligence in EU data centers. Both modes: files are encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256). We never store your filenames—only anonymized metadata (file type and size) for accounting. All files auto-delete within 1 hour.

What are the limits for this converter?

Tier	Max File Size	Max Files/Batch	Parallel Processing
Guest/Free	50 MB	50 files	3 at once
Pro	1024 MB	1000 files	6 at once

Note: File size limits are specific to this converter. Batch and parallel processing limits apply to all documents converters site-wide. See all converter limits →

How are credits calculated for this conversion?

Cost: 1 credit per page

How it works:

Files up to 1 MB: 1 credit
2 MB: 2 credits
3 MB: 3 credits
4 MB: 4 credits

Example: A 5 MB document = 5 credits. A 95 MB document = 95 credits.

Why per-megabyte? Larger files require more resources (processing, bandwidth, storage).

What are my daily and monthly credit limits?

Credit allocations vary by account tier:

Tier	Daily Limit	Monthly Limit
Guest	100 credits/day	—
Free	100 credits/day	—
Pro	—	12,000 credits/month

Daily credits (Guest & Free tiers) reset every day at midnight UTC. Monthly credits (Pro) reset on your billing cycle date.

Note: With 1 credit per page, a typical document costs 1 credit. Pro users can convert 12000 documents per month.

Answers at a Glance

Quick answers to common questions.

What's New in PDF OCR

Latest improvements to this converter

Last updated February 27, 2026

Feb 27, 2026

Now available via the Convert.FAST REST API.

Feb 26, 2026

Added two-mode OCR: Fast (Tesseract, 1 credit/page) for clean scans and Quality (Azure Document Intelligence, 5 credits/page) for complex documents.

Feb 1, 2026

Migrated from Tesseract to Microsoft Azure Document Intelligence for Enterprise-grade OCR.

Jan 23, 2026

Initial release of PDF OCR converter. Add searchable text layer to scanned PDFs using automatic language detection.

Need to get more done? Pro starts from $5.

1 GB files 1,000 per batch Priority queue Web + API

See Pricing →

No subscription required.