Recognize the text in a scanned or image-based PDF and add an invisible, searchable text layer, entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Drop one PDF here or browse
How it works
Add a scanned or image-based PDF.
Choose the document's language.
Select Make searchable and review. SumoPDF reads each page and adds a selectable text layer over the original, so you can search and copy the text. The look of the pages is unchanged.
Limits
Browser-local, powered by an in-browser OCR engine (a one-time engine and language-data download of a few megabytes). It is slower than the other tools and works best on clear scans; handwriting and low-quality images may not read well. English and Spanish. Beta limits: desktop up to 40 MB and 80 pages; mobile devices up to 15 MB and 30 pages. Password-protected PDFs are not supported. This tool runs a WebAssembly OCR engine, so the OCR page enables WebAssembly in its security policy (unlike the other tools); your file is still processed on your device and never uploaded.
Common questions
Is my document's content secure when I use OCR online?
Yes, your document's content is kept secure. The OCR process runs in your browser, meaning the file and its recognized text are never uploaded to a server. Your data remains private on your device.
What does it mean to OCR a PDF?
OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. It is a process that analyzes an image of text, like a scanned document, and converts it into actual text characters. This makes the PDF's content searchable and allows you to copy and paste the text.
Can I use OCR on a long, scanned book?
OCR is a feature of our paid plan, which offers unlimited use without page limits. The free tier of our other tools is limited to 25 pages, but OCR and Office conversions require a subscription.
In which languages can you recognize text?
The OCR tool is optimized for recognizing text in English and other Latin-script languages. The accuracy of the text recognition can vary depending on the quality and clarity of the original scan.
