OCR (optical character recognition) converts the image of text in a scanned PDF into real, selectable, searchable text. A scan is just a picture of a page — OCR reads the letter shapes and adds a hidden text layer so you can search, copy and highlight the words. With the PDFEzy OCR tool it runs free in your browser.
What is OCR?
OCR stands for optical character recognition. When you scan a paper document or take a photo of it, the resulting PDF contains an image, not text. The computer sees pixels, not words. OCR software analyses those pixels, recognises the individual characters and reconstructs the actual text behind them.
The output is usually a "searchable PDF": the original page image stays exactly as it looked, but an invisible layer of recognised text sits on top, perfectly aligned with the visible words.
Why OCR matters
Turning a scan into searchable text unlocks things a flat image simply cannot do:
Searchable — you can use Ctrl+F (or your PDF reader's search) to jump straight to any word in a long contract, invoice or book chapter.
Copyable — you can select and copy passages to paste into an email, note or document, instead of retyping them by hand.
Accessible — screen readers can read OCR'd text aloud, so a scanned document becomes usable by people who are blind or have low vision.
How to make a PDF searchable
Here is how to OCR a scanned PDF in your browser using the PDFEzy OCR tool.
1. Open the OCR PDF tool
Go to the OCR PDF tool. It loads instantly in any modern browser — Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari — with nothing to download or install.
2. Upload your scanned PDF
Drag and drop your scanned or image-based PDF onto the page, or click to browse and select it from your device.
3. Run OCR
Click Run OCR. PDFEzy reads the text in your scan locally on your device and builds an invisible, searchable text layer aligned with the page image.
4. Download the searchable PDF
Download your new PDF. The page still looks identical, but the text is now selectable and searchable. The whole process happens on your own device.
Practical tips
OCR accuracy depends on the input. Start with a good scan: scan at 300 DPI or higher, keep pages straight (not skewed), and avoid shadows or glare so the letters are crisp.
Match the language of the document. Recognition works best when the OCR engine knows which alphabet and language to expect, so pick the correct language if you are prompted. Clean, high-contrast black-on-white text gives the most reliable results.
Once the PDF is searchable, you can take it further. To turn the recognised text into a fully editable document, run it through the PDF to Word tool and edit the wording in Word.
Is it private?
Yes. PDFEzy runs OCR entirely in your browser using client-side code, so your scanned documents are processed on your own device and never uploaded to a server. When you close the tab, nothing remains.