OCR PDF

Make a scanned PDF or a photo of a page searchable and copyable, right in your browser. Documents of up to 10 pages are free. Longer ones are part of Pro.

On your device firstFree

or drop your scan here

Accepts PDF, JPG, PNG

Uploads from this page: 0On your device first. What this means

OCR PDF at a glance

OCR PDF is a tool that finds the words in scanned PDFs and photos and turns them into real text you can search, select and copy. It recognizes the text in your browser, so the file never leaves your device. Documents up to 10 pages are free, and longer ones are part of Pro.

Limits · Files up to 1 GB each · One file at a time · Free and unlimited, no account needed

Last updated October 19, 2026

How to use OCR PDF

Add your scan
Choose a scanned PDF, or a JPG or PNG photo of a page. You can also drop it on the page.
Recognize the text
Pick the languages in your document. Wispdf reads the words on each page in your browser, free for up to 10 pages.
Search and copy
Download a PDF you can search, select and copy text from.

What OCR PDF does

OCR, or optical character recognition, means finding the words in a picture of a page and turning them into real text. OCR PDF does this for scanned PDFs and photos in your browser, so you can search, select and copy the text. Documents of up to 10 pages are free, and longer ones are part of Pro.

People use it to

Find one clause in a scanned lease without reading every page
Copy a quote from a photographed library book into your essay
Pull invoice numbers from a supplier's scanned PDF into your books

What's included

Free for short documents

Documents of up to 10 pages are recognized on your device, free and without an account.

Your document's languages

Reads English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian, and documents that mix them.

PDFs and photos

Start from a scanned PDF or from JPG and PNG images of your pages.

Nothing is uploaded

Your scan is read on your device, however long it is. It never leaves your browser.

Where your file goes

OCR PDF runs on your device. Your scan never leaves your browser, and neither does the text found in it.

On your device firstFree and unlimited, no account needed.

How privacy works at Wispdf

Questions about OCR PDF

Is OCR PDF free?

Yes, for documents of up to 10 pages. They run in your browser, free and unlimited, with no account. Longer documents are part of Pro and the 7-Day Pass. You can still recognize every page and preview the result before you decide.

Does OCR PDF upload my scan?

No. OCR PDF reads your scan in your browser, however long it is, and the file never leaves your device. The text it finds stays on your device too. Because nothing is uploaded, it suits scans of contracts, IDs, bank statements and medical letters that you would rather keep to yourself.

Can I run OCR on a photo instead of a PDF?

Yes. OCR PDF accepts JPG and PNG images as well as PDFs, so a phone photo of a page or a screenshot works. You get back a PDF where the text can be searched and copied. If you have several paper pages to capture, Scan to PDF can photograph them with your phone camera first.

How accurate is OCR PDF?

It depends mostly on the scan. Clear, straight, well-lit pages with printed text give the best results. Blurry photos, very small print, heavy shadows and handwriting are harder, and some words may come out wrong. If accuracy matters, rescan with better light or a steadier hand, and check names and numbers in the result before you rely on them.

Which languages does OCR PDF read?

OCR PDF reads English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian, and documents that mix them. Pick the languages before you start; each one loads the first time you use it. Whatever the language, the quality of the scan makes the biggest difference, so start from a sharp, straight, well-lit image.

Can I use OCR PDF on my phone or Mac?

Yes. OCR PDF works in any modern browser on iPhone, iPad, Android, Chromebook, Mac, Windows and Linux, with nothing to install. Recognizing text is heavy work, so a document can take a little longer on a phone than on a computer. Your scan stays on whichever device you use.