OCR PDF
Recognize English, Simplified or Traditional Chinese. Check the searchable PDF and text.
How to make a scanned PDF searchable
If text cannot be selected in a scanned document, OCR can recognize the page images and add a searchable text layer. You can also download the recognized text as a TXT file.
Example: find a phrase in scanned study notes
Start with one representative page rather than the entire scan. Choose the language printed on the page, run OCR, and compare names, numbers and punctuation with the image. Once the result is useful, process the remaining page ranges in smaller batches.
Start small and check the recognized text
Select a scan and its pages
Open the PDF and enter a range such as 1-3, 5. OCR initially selects page 1 and supports up to 20 pages per batch, subject to pixel and output limits.
Match the recognition settings
Choose English, Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese. Select automatic page layout, one text block or one text line to match the original. Chinese defaults to 300 DPI; higher resolution needs more memory and time.
Check and export
Compare the recognized text with the scan before downloading the searchable PDF. You can correct the text box and download TXT; those edits do not update the PDF text layer. To change that layer, adjust the settings and run OCR again.
What OCR can and cannot do
- The original scan remains a page image. OCR adds text; it does not reconstruct a fully editable original layout.
- Recognition can miss or substitute characters, including Chinese characters. Handwriting, tables, rotated or blurred scans require particular care. Engine confidence is not a measured accuracy guarantee.
- Each page is limited to 12 million rendered pixels and a batch to 120 million; lower the DPI or select fewer pages if the device protection limit is reached. Generated output is limited to 32 MB.
- Processing runs on your device. Language models download on first use; large scans may take time, and you can cancel the operation.
Related tasks
From file to result in three steps.
Choose a file
Choose your file. It stays on this device.
Adjust and preview
Adjust the settings and check the pages or text.
Download your new file
Save and check the result. Keep the original.
Processing limits
Local PDFs are limited to 40 MB and 200 pages; resource-intensive tools show their lower limits. Images: up to 100, 16 MB each and 40 MB in total. Excessively large pixel dimensions are rejected. Office uploads: 10 MB, one conversion at a time. Try again later if the service is busy.
Features and formats