Free online PDF OCR: make a scanned PDF searchable
A scanned PDF is just a series of images: you can't search for a word or copy a sentence. Certyneo Reader's OCR recognises French and English text, then adds it as an invisible layer on each page, which looks exactly the same. Recognition runs in your browser: nothing is sent, with no account and no limits.
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The same PDF reader, installed on your computer: it opens your files offline, with no account, and can become your default PDF reader.
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Other systems and installers: macOS · Linux (AppImage) · Linux (.deb package for Debian and Ubuntu)
Windows (offline installer, MSI for managed fleets)
Windows (offline installer, x64) · Windows (offline installer, ARM64) · Windows (MSI for managed fleets)
Drop your PDF here
or choose a file on your computer, tablet or phone
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text, RTF, images and HEIC photos are converted to PDF on your device.
100% local reading: the document is never sent over the internet.
How to make a scanned PDF searchable in three steps
- 1
Open the scan
Drag the scanned PDF into the reader or pick it from your device, then open the OCR tool.
- 2
Run the recognition
By default only pages without text are processed; you can also run OCR on the whole document. Allow a few seconds per page.
- 3
Search, copy, save
The recognised text is added to each page: search for a word, copy a passage, then save the now searchable PDF.
Everything happens in your browser: the file never leaves your device. Open in the reader
Related tools and guides
- ↑ Free tools
- → Read a PDF online with nothing to install
- → Edit the text of a PDF
- → Annotate and highlight a PDF
- → Redact sensitive information in a PDF
- → Compare two versions of a PDF
- → Check if a PDF has been modified
- → Rearrange the pages of a PDF
- → Merge several PDFs into one
- → Split a PDF into several files
- → Compress a PDF to send it by email
- → Password-protect a PDF
- → Fill in a PDF form
- → Convert JPG or PNG images to PDF
- → Add a watermark to a PDF
- → Add Bates numbering to a PDF
- → Create a fillable PDF form
- → Extract text from a PDF
- → Convert a PDF to Word or Excel
- → Process several PDFs at once
- → Crop a PDF or change its paper size
- → Add page numbers to a PDF
- → Add a page to a PDF
- → Delete pages from a PDF
- → Rotate the pages of a PDF
- → Extract pages from a PDF
- → Convert a Word document to PDF
- → Convert an Excel file to PDF
- → Convert a PowerPoint presentation to PDF
- → Convert an iPhone HEIC photo to PDF
- → Sign a PDF online, step by step
Online PDF OCR: frequently asked questions
Which languages does the OCR recognise?
French and English, accents included. A document in another Latin-alphabet language is often partly read, but with more errors.
Does the scan look any different?
No. Every page looks exactly the same: the recognised text is added in an invisible layer, placed in the right spots so search and selection land accurately.
Is my document sent to a server for OCR?
No. Recognition is performed by your browser, on your device. That's what lets you process a contract, an invoice or an ID document in complete privacy.
How long does OCR take?
A few seconds per page, depending on your device. Progress is shown page by page, so a long document takes a little patience, especially on a phone.
Is the recognition 100% accurate?
No OCR is. On a sharp, straight scan the result is very good; a blurry or tilted photo, or handwriting, produces more errors. Double-check an important passage before reusing it.
Does this PDF need to be signed?
Send it for electronic signature in minutes: your signers sign from their phone, without creating an account.
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