OCR PDF
Add a searchable text layer to scanned PDFs so you can find, copy and quote any sentence in seconds.
- Encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3)
- Files auto-deleted in 60 minutes
- Requires free plan
Run OCR PDF
About OCR PDF
A scanned PDF is just a picture of pages — you can't search it, copy from it, or feed it to AI. OCR PDF fixes that by adding an invisible text layer under the existing image, in your chosen language.
We use Tesseract (the open-source engine that powers most OCR on the planet), so the output is a standards-compliant PDF that works everywhere — Adobe Reader, Preview, Chrome, even other PDF tools.
How OCR PDF works
Three steps. Done in seconds.
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1
Drop your scanned PDF
Any scanned or image-only PDF.
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2
Pick the document language
English by default. Choose from 16 languages including Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic.
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3
Download the searchable PDF
The result looks identical but is fully searchable, copy-pasteable and AI-ready.
Why OCR PDF on Pixenith
Built for serious work. Free for everyday use.
Privacy first
Encrypted in transit, processed in isolated workers, deleted within 60 minutes.
Lightning fast
Most jobs finish in under 5 seconds. Heavy ones run on dedicated worker pools.
Production engine
Powered by pikepdf, Ghostscript, Tesseract OCR, ONNX models — the same tech the pros use.
Free, no signup
Generous daily limits on the free plan. Upgrade only if you need bigger files.
Related PDF tools
Often used alongside OCR PDF.
- Scan to PDF Turn scanned images into a clean PDF (optional OCR).
- AI Summarizer AI Summarize a PDF with AI.
- Translate PDF AI Translate a PDF's text into another language using AI.
- PDF to Word Convert PDF to an editable Word (.docx) document.
- Compress PDF Reduce PDF file size. Pick a preset (low / medium / high) or specify a target size (e.g. 200 KB or 2 MB) and we'll binary-search the quality ladder for the best-quality output that fits.
- PDF to PDF/A Convert PDF to the archival PDF/A standard.
OCR PDF — frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know.
Will OCR change how my PDF looks?
No. The text layer is invisible — the image you see is exactly the same. Only Cmd-F / Ctrl-F now finds words.
How accurate is the OCR?
Tesseract typically reaches 95-99 % accuracy on clean scans in supported languages. Picture sharpness and font are the main quality drivers.
Can I OCR mixed-language documents?
Yes — pick the primary language and Tesseract will still pick up most of the other words. For very mixed text, contact us for custom language pack combinations.
Does Pixenith use my OCR text to train AI?
Never. We don't store, share or train on your documents. Files are deleted within 60 minutes.
What's the page limit?
Free: 100 pages. Pro: 2,000. Business: 5,000. OCR is CPU-intensive so very large PDFs take a few minutes.