OCR PDF

Make a scanned PDF searchable

Upload a scanned or image-based PDF to add a real, selectable text layer over the existing pages — the visible page keeps its original appearance, but the text becomes searchable and selectable in any PDF viewer.

Recognition runs locally in your browser. Your PDF is processed on your device and is not uploaded to Looty Tools.

How to OCR a PDF

1. Choose or drag a PDF file into the tool.
2. Select Make searchable & download.
3. Each scanned or mostly-scanned page is recognized and given an invisible, selectable text layer.
4. Pages that already have selectable text are left unchanged.
5. Download the resulting searchable PDF.

A real text layer, not a fake one

• Recognized text is embedded as genuine, invisible PDF text positioned over the matching words on the page — not dumped into a separate box or appended page.
• The visible page image is never altered; only an invisible text layer is added.
• Pages with substantial existing text are skipped automatically, so a duplicate text layer is never stacked on top of already-selectable text.
• Low-confidence recognized words are filtered out.
• Browser-only processing — files stay on your device.

Private browser-based OCR

OCR recognition happens locally on your device using a WASM engine. Your PDF is not uploaded to Looty Tools, stored on our servers, or sent to an external service. The first time you use this tool, your browser downloads a small same-origin language-recognition file — that is a one-time engine asset, not your document.

Limits and important notes

• Maximum of 25 pages per PDF.
• Maximum file size is 50 MB.
• English text only in this version.
• Password-protected and encrypted PDFs are not supported.
• Recognition accuracy depends on scan quality, resolution, and skew.
• Large or complex PDFs may take longer and use more browser memory.

Related PDF tools

• Organize PDFReorder, rotate, duplicate, or remove pages from a PDF.
• Compress PDFShrink PDF file size while keeping pages readable and print-ready.
• PDF to TextExtract readable text from a PDF into a text file.
• Scan to PDFTurn phone or scanner captures into a single clean PDF.
• Compare PDFCompare two PDF versions side by side and spot what changed.

OCR PDF FAQ

Is my PDF uploaded to run OCR?

No. Recognition runs locally in your browser using a WASM OCR engine. The first use downloads a small same-origin language file (about 3 MB) from this site, but your PDF and its contents are never sent anywhere.

Does the output PDF still look like the original?

Yes. The visible page content is untouched — OCR PDF adds an invisible, selectable text layer positioned over the existing page image. It does not rebuild the page as a new image or append a separate text page.

Can I search and select the text afterward?

Yes. The recognized words are embedded as real PDF text (using the standard invisible text-rendering mode), so they are searchable and selectable in any PDF viewer, while remaining visually invisible.

What happens to pages that already have selectable text?

Pages that already contain substantial real text are left completely untouched — OCR is skipped for them so a duplicate invisible text layer is never stacked on top of existing selectable text.

What languages are supported?

English only in this version. Support for additional languages is not yet included.

How many pages can I process at once?

Up to 25 pages per PDF, with a maximum file size of 50 MB.

Will the recognized text be perfectly accurate?

OCR accuracy depends on scan quality, resolution, and skew. Low-confidence words are filtered out rather than embedded, but some errors are possible, especially on low-resolution or heavily skewed scans.

Are password-protected PDFs supported?

No. Encrypted and password-protected PDFs are unsupported.