# OCR PDF > Make scanned PDFs searchable by adding a text layer. - Page: https://acepdfmd.com/tool/ocr-pdf/ - Updated: 2026-09-13 - Runs at: https://acepdfmd.com (Uploaded files are deleted within 60 minutes. No signup for light use.) - Also in 29 languages: https://acepdfmd.com//tool/ocr-pdf/ ## Make a scanned PDF searchable and selectable A scanned contract, an old textbook chapter, a photographed receipt: these all look like text on the page, but a PDF viewer sees only a picture, so you cannot search, select, or copy a single word from it. OCR PDF reads the text on each scanned page and adds an invisible, searchable text layer underneath it. You upload one PDF and choose a language for the text recognition. Auto detect handles most files and works page by page, which helps with documents where the language changes partway through; or pick one or more languages by hand, holding Ctrl or Cmd, for pages that mix English and French. Processing happens on our servers over an encrypted connection, and your file is deleted within 60 minutes. ### What you get back The output looks identical to the original scan, but now you can search it, select and copy text, and highlight passages the way you would in any digital document. - A crisp, straight, high resolution scan comes back far more accurate than a blurry or skewed photo. - Handwriting and unusual fonts recognize less reliably than printed text. - A few conversion tools elsewhere on the site also read scanned text automatically, but only this one hands back a searchable PDF you keep. - Free use includes a short ad; a paid plan removes ads and raises the file size ceiling. ## How to use the OCR PDF tool 1. Add your PDF file: drag & drop or click to browse. 2. Set your options: OCR language. 3. Click “Process OCR PDF” and download your result. ## Common questions ### Is OCR PDF free? Yes. OCR PDF is free for light use with no signup needed. Anonymous visitors get 10 free tasks per day, and creating a free account makes daily use unlimited. A paid Pro plan removes ads and raises file-size limits for heavier work. ### Is my file safe? Yes. Your file is sent over HTTPS, processed by self-hosted open-source software on our servers (no third-party AI or cloud APIs), and deleted within 60 minutes at the latest, usually right after your result is ready. ### What file formats does OCR PDF accept? OCR PDF accepts PDF files. Convert other formats to a supported one first; the related tools below can usually do it. ## Related tools - [Scan to PDF](https://acepdfmd.com/tool/scan-to-pdf/): Turn photographed pages into a clean, professional scan: deskew, shadow removal, color/grayscale/B&W, and auto page-order by filename. - [Scan to Markdown](https://acepdfmd.com/tool/scan-to-markdown/): Turn photographed pages into clean, searchable Markdown text. The same deskew and shadow-removal cleanup as Scan to PDF, then OCR extracts the text into a .md file, page by page. - [PDF to Word](https://acepdfmd.com/tool/pdf-to-word/): Convert PDF into an editable DOCX. - [PDF to Text](https://acepdfmd.com/tool/pdf-to-text/): Extract plain, unformatted text from a PDF. - [PDF to Markdown](https://acepdfmd.com/tool/pdf-to-markdown/): Convert PDF content into clean Markdown (great for docs/LLMs). - [Image to Text (OCR)](https://acepdfmd.com/tool/image-to-text/): Extract text from images using OCR. Supports 95+ languages. Read the guide: [OCR for PDFs and Images: How to Get Accurate Text](https://acepdfmd.com/guides/ocr-guide/)