Yes. OCR runs 100% in your browser using Tesseract — your PDF never leaves your device. No upload, no server, no signup.

How accurate is the OCR?

Accuracy depends on document quality. Clear printed text achieves 95%+ accuracy. Handwritten or degraded documents may have lower results.

Will OCR change the file size?

OCR adds a text layer to the PDF, which may slightly increase file size. The visual content remains unchanged.

Can OCR convert a scanned PDF to Word or Excel?

Not directly — this tool outputs a searchable PDF (your original pages plus an invisible text layer). For an editable Word file, run OCR first, then convert the result with a PDF to Word tool. For tables, run the OCR result through a PDF to Excel tool. Converters cannot read pixels, so the OCR step must come first.

OCR PDF Free — Searchable Text

Make scanned PDFs searchable and selectable free — 8-language OCR powered by Tesseract, 100% private in your browser.

Drop your scanned PDF here

or press Ctrl+V to paste

PDF • Max 30 MB per file • Sequential

🔒 100% private — processed entirely in your browser, nothing is uploaded.

100% Private Processing

OCR runs entirely in your browser with Tesseract - files never leave your device.

8 Languages

Recognize English, Hindi, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian.

Searchable Output

Turn scanned documents into searchable, selectable, and copyable PDFs.

30MB Files

Process large scanned PDFs up to 30MB per file with deskew and cleanup.

Read the Full Guide

When to Use This Tool

Scanned Documents

Convert scanned paper documents into searchable and selectable PDF files.

Image-Based PDFs

Make image-only PDFs searchable by extracting text using OCR technology.

Text Extraction

Copy text from PDFs that don't allow text selection or copying.

Multi-Language Support

Recognize text in English, Hindi, and other languages from scanned documents.

AFFLIGO OCR vs Adobe & Smallpdf

AFFLIGO

✓Tesseract OCR in-browser
✓8 languages incl. Hindi
✓OCR → compress → protect chain
✓Original pages untouched

Adobe

✗Files upload for OCR
✗OCR languages need Pro
✗Chain needs separate tools
✗Searchable output, layout may shift

Smallpdf

✗Uploads for OCR
✗OCR needs Pro
✗No OCR chain flow
✗Rebuilt pages, ~5MB free cap

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. OCR runs 100% in your browser — your PDF never leaves your device. No upload, no server, no signup.

Accuracy depends on scan quality. Clear, high-resolution scans with standard fonts achieve 95%+ accuracy. Handwriting and decorative fonts may be less accurate.

8 languages: English, Hindi, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian. Pick your document language before running for the best accuracy.

OCR adds a text layer on top of the original image. File size may increase slightly due to the added text data.

Max 30MB per file, up to 80 pages. Files process one by one and sizing adapts to your device.

AFFLIGO runs OCR 100% in your browser with Tesseract — no upload, no queues, no signup. Your original pages stay untouched; only an invisible searchable text layer is added.

Yes. When OCR finishes, the result card shows Compress and Protect buttons that work on your file instantly — no re-upload needed. Compress shrinks the PDF in your browser (and honestly tells you if it is already optimal); Protect encrypts it with a password you set (up to AES-256). Everything happens on your device.

Not directly — this tool outputs a searchable PDF. For an editable Word file, run OCR first, then convert the result with our PDF to Word tool. For tables, run the OCR result through our PDF to Excel tool.

How to OCR a Scanned PDF

Step 1

Upload Scanned PDF

Drag & drop or click to select a scanned PDF file from your computer (up to 30MB).

Step 2

Configure Settings

Select language and OCR type (Force OCR, Skip Text), plus auto-deskew and image cleaning.

Step 3

Run OCR & Download

Click Run OCR, wait for on-device processing, then download your searchable PDF.