OCR PDF: Convert Scanned PDF to Text

Make scanned or image-based PDFs searchable and copyable with OCR for Turkish, English, German, Spanish and Italian.

  • Scan becomes Text
  • Up to ⁦25 MB⁩
  • No sign-up
  • TR · EN · DE · ES · IT

21 OCR PDF

  1. 01 Pick
  2. 02 Process
  3. 03 Download

HTTPS · deleted after about 10 min

Scan

Selected file

Size: Ready

Ready. One click to go.

Live status

Uploading your file

Result

Readable.

0pages now searchable

That didn't work.

Document language

English is always recognised as well.

  • No account, no cost.
  • Recognises Turkish, English, German, Spanish and Italian text.
  • Your file is deleted about 10 minutes after processing.

Choose a PDF first

Stages

  1. Uploading your file
  2. Checking the file
  3. Recognising the text
  4. Finishing touches

You stop waiting; the copy on the server deletes itself.

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Self-destructs in 10:00

Then it's permanently deleted from the server. Download it now.

01

What is OCR and what is it for?

OCR (optical character recognition) recognises the letters in an image and turns them into text a computer can read. In PDFs from a scanner or phone camera, every page is really a photo – which is why you cannot search them or copy the text.

The PDF OCR tool scans every page at 300 DPI, recognises text in the language you choose (Turkish, English, German, Spanish or Italian) and produces a searchable PDF. The pages look exactly the same; the recognised text is added behind them as an invisible layer, so you can search with Ctrl+F and select and copy the text.

02

How to OCR a scanned PDF in 3 steps

  1. Upload the scanned PDF: Drag the file onto the box above or click to choose it (up to 25 MB).

  2. Start OCR: Click “Recognise text”; pages are scanned one after another. For long documents this can take a few minutes.

  3. Download the searchable PDF: When it is done, download the file, then select and copy text or search the document.

03

When is it useful?

  • Digitising old paperwork: Turn scans of deeds, contracts and official letters into a searchable archive.

  • Notes and books: Quote or summarise scanned book chapters.

  • Office work: Search invoices and receipts for an amount or a company name.

  • Preparing for other tools: Copy and edit the text after OCR, or export it with the PDF to Text tool.

04

Accuracy and limits

  • Languages: Turkish, English, German, Spanish and Italian are supported – choose the document language before converting. Letters such as ç, ğ, ı, İ, ş, ä, ö, ü, ß, ñ and è are recognised, and English is always recognised as a second language. Other languages – especially other alphabets – give poorer results.

  • For best results: Use straight, well-lit pages scanned at 300 DPI or more. Skewed, shadowed or blurry photos cause more errors.

  • Handwriting: OCR works well on printed text; results on handwriting vary a lot.

  • Output size: Pages are rebuilt at high resolution, so the output may be larger than the original. You can make the file smaller with the Compress PDF tool – compression keeps the text layer.

  • Processing time: Each page is scanned separately, so the time grows with the number of pages.

05

Privacy and automatic deletion

Your files are sent to our server over an encrypted HTTPS connection. The original file you upload is deleted as soon as processing finishes. The result file is kept only briefly so you can download it: an automatic clean-up job runs every minute and permanently deletes files older than 10 minutes. We therefore recommend downloading your result as soon as it is ready.

The download link only works for the user or browser session that started the job, and your files are never shared with other users. Our job log stores only details such as the file name, size and type of operation, never the file itself.

Read our Privacy Policy for details

06

Frequently Asked Questions

Which languages does the OCR support?

Turkish, English, German, Spanish and Italian. Choose the language under “Document language”; English is always recognised as well, so mixed documents work too.

What file do I get after OCR?

A PDF that looks like the original but is searchable and lets you copy the text.

Does it recognise handwriting?

OCR works best on printed text. Accuracy on handwriting depends heavily on how legible it is.

How long does OCR take?

Each page is scanned separately at 300 DPI, so it depends on the page count. Short documents are quick; long ones can take a few minutes.

Can I turn a scanned PDF into Word?

After OCR you can copy the text into Word or export it with the PDF to Text tool. Because the scanned page itself is an image, you may not get an editable Word document that keeps the exact layout.

How can I reduce recognition errors?

Scan pages straight, without shadows, at 300 DPI or more. If you use a phone, photograph the document in good light and from directly above.

Do you keep my files?

No. The uploaded PDF is deleted when processing finishes and the OCR’d file is removed from the server automatically within a few minutes.