OCR PDF
Make scanned PDFs searchable. Upload a scanned document and OCR will recognize the text, producing a PDF you can search, copy, and select.
Coming soon
OCR requires server-side processing and is not yet available. This feature will be enabled once the backend service is deployed.
Drop your scanned PDF here
One PDF, up to 100 MB
or click to browse
How to OCR a scanned PDF
Turn a scanned PDF into a searchable document with selectable text.
- 1
Open OCR PDF
Go to makemypdf.com/ocr-pdf.
- 2
Upload the scan
Drop the scanned PDF onto the upload area.
- 3
Pick a language
Choose the primary language of the document for best accuracy.
- 4
Run OCR
The backend runs Tesseract against each page and embeds a hidden text layer over the original image.
- 5
Download the searchable PDF
The result looks identical but text is selectable and searchable.
Frequently asked questions
Which languages are supported?
All Tesseract-supported languages — over 100, including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and more.
Why do I need a server-side tool for OCR?
OCR requires large language models. Shipping them to the browser would bloat the page load. The backend runs them in seconds instead.
Is my scan deleted after OCR?
Yes — immediately after the job finishes.