OCR PDF
Make scanned PDFs searchable and selectable.
or drag and drop PDFs here
Files are processed on your device and never uploaded.
Working…
Your file is ready!
DownloadContinue with this file
To make a scanned PDF searchable, select the file, choose the document’s language and click Run OCR. Text recognition runs in your browser and adds an invisible text layer, so you can search, select and copy text while the page looks exactly the same. It supports more than 40 languages.
How to make a scanned PDF searchable
- Select your PDF fileClick “Select file” or drop your PDF file on the page.
- Choose your optionsChoose the document language (and a second language for mixed documents).
- Click “Run OCR”The result is created on your device in seconds and downloads automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Which languages are supported?
More than 40, including English, Malay, Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Tamil, Thai, Vietnamese, Spanish, French, German and Russian.
Can I get the text as a .txt file?
Yes. Choose Text or Both under Output.
Why is the first run slower?
The language model (2–15 MB) is downloaded once, then your browser keeps it for next time.
Is OCR PDF free?
Yes. OCR PDF on HappyPDF is completely free: no sign-up, no watermark and no daily limit.
Are my files safe?
Yes. Your files are processed inside your own browser and are never uploaded to HappyPDF’s server,, so nobody else can see them.
Does it work on phone, Mac and Windows?
Yes. It works in any modern browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, Samsung Internet) on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iPhone/iPad. Nothing to install.