Skip to content

OCR PDF Online Free — PrivaTools

OCR PDF online for free — convert scanned documents into searchable, selectable text using Tesseract OCR. Supports 100+ languages. Output as searchable PDF or plain text.

OCR PDF is one of 105 free file tools on PrivaTools. All processing happens on our servers with zero-knowledge architecture — your files are never stored, never read, and never shared with third parties. No account required.

How to OCR PDF with PrivaTools

  1. Upload a scanned PDF or image-based PDF — Select a PDF containing scanned pages. Files up to 500 MB are supported.
  2. Select the document language — Choose the primary language (or multiple languages) so the OCR engine uses the correct dictionary for accuracy.
  3. Run OCR and download — Click Process. Tesseract extracts text and creates an invisible text layer, making the PDF fully searchable and copyable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What languages does OCR support?

PrivaTools uses Tesseract, which supports over 100 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and Hindi.

Will OCR change how my PDF looks?

No. OCR adds an invisible text layer behind the scanned image. The visual appearance is identical — but you can now search and copy text.

How accurate is the OCR?

Accuracy depends on scan quality. Clean 300 DPI scans typically achieve 95-99% accuracy. Low-resolution or skewed scans may need manual correction.

Related PDF Tools