Why use this tool?
Ocr scanned PDFs should be a 10-second job, not a 10-minute one. Most desktop apps want an installation, ask for an email, or stamp a watermark on the result. This tool does none of that — open the page, upload, get your searchable PDF, move on.
It runs from your browser, so you don't need to trust an unknown program with your files. The actual processing happens on our servers under a tight retention policy: files are auto-deleted within 24 hours and we never read, share, or train models on them.
How to ocr scanned PDFs
- Upload your PDF (drag & drop or click to browse).
- Adjust the options to your needs (defaults work well for most cases).
- Click OCR and wait a few seconds.
- Preview the result on the page and click Download to save it.
That's it — no signup, no email, no waiting for an account verification.
Features
- Free for everyone — 3 jobs per day without signing in, more with an account.
- Privacy-first: your files are deleted within 24 hours and never shared.
- Fast — most jobs finish in under 10 seconds, right in your browser.
- Works with PDF.
- No watermark on the output, ever.
- Mobile-friendly — runs on any modern phone or tablet browser.
Tips & best practices
Prepare exam materials or course handouts from mixed sources.
Send a contract that's easier to edit before signing.
Password-protected PDFs need to be unlocked first — use the "Unlock PDF" tool. For best OCR results, scan documents at 300 DPI in black & white or grayscale.
Common use cases
- Prepare exam materials or course handouts from mixed sources.
- Send a contract that's easier to edit before signing.
- Combine a research bundle (multiple PDFs) into a single file.
- Pull text or pages out of a scanned report for a brief.