Premium online PDF tool
Turn image-only pages into a searchable PDF for finding and copying text, then verify the recognized words against the visible scan before reuse.
OCR PDF is part of TapScanner Premium — see exactly what it costs and what else it unlocks before you decide. TapScanner has 100M+ mobile downloads
Drag a file in, or choose one — it opens in the workspace below, already loaded.
PDF, up to 20 MB. Larger files still work — add them in the workspace itself.
What you get
Recognize words in image-based pages so you can search and copy text or continue to Word conversion, while keeping the visible scan as the source to verify.
See the workflow before you start
Recognize words in image-based pages so you can search and copy text or continue to Word conversion, while keeping the visible scan as the source to verify. The three decisions below show what to provide, what to configure, and what to verify before you share the output.
Confirm the PDF is image-only and improve crop, orientation, and clarity where possible.
Choose the matching available OCR language and run recognition.
Search and copy sample text, then verify names, numbers, tables, and reading order.
Your file
1Choose the setting
2Ready to review
3Result to check
Correct crop and orientation, choose the matching available OCR language, then search multiple fields and compare names, figures, tables, and punctuation with the scan.
Plan the job
A quick source check prevents avoidable rework. After processing, open the output and verify the details that matter for this specific PDF task.
First confirm a visible sentence cannot already be selected or searched. Use the clearest scan, correct crop and orientation, choose the matching available language, and note blur, shadows, handwriting, columns, tables, stamps, or mixed scripts.
Search several names and numbers and copy text from every page type. Compare punctuation, reading order, tables, columns, handwriting, and right-to-left passages with the visible scan before conversion or reuse.
Decide whether OCR belongs in this workflow
A quick select-or-search test helps you avoid OCR when a text layer already exists and focus recovery where it is needed.
Path 1 · existing text layer
Search for a visible word or select a sentence. If both work, preserve the source and use the tool that matches your next document outcome.
Check before moving on
Sample names, numbers, and reading order before reusing the PDF.
Path 2 · image-only pages
If search and selection fail, improve the scan, choose the available language, and run OCR before copying or converting.
Recovery check
Compare characters, punctuation, tables, columns, handwriting, and right-to-left text with the visible page.
How it works
Confirm the PDF is image-only and improve crop, orientation, and clarity where possible.
Choose the matching available OCR language and run recognition.
Search and copy sample text, then verify names, numbers, tables, and reading order.
Complete the job
Follow the whole path before you start: choose the source, set the job, run the workspace, verify the output, and continue only when the result is right for its next use.
After processing
A completed result still deserves a quick check. Keep the original, inspect the output type and contents, and decide what should happen next before you share it.
Output to verify
Result type: PDF outputRecognize words in image-based pages so you can search and copy text or continue to Word conversion, while keeping the visible scan as the source to verify.
Check page order, orientation, text, permissions, and any visible signatures before sharing the PDF.
Check page order, text, orientation, and the number of files in the workspace before sending anything.
Use the workspace Download action after the result is ready. A browser handoff does not prove that a file was saved to disk.
If this workspace offers Delete now, use it after downloading. Availability depends on the tool and current result path.
Keep the source until you have verified the result, then move to a related PDF task or return to the tools catalog.
Practical example
A multi-page invoice packet was captured as images, so supplier names, dates, totals, and reference numbers cannot be searched or selected.
Correct crop and orientation, choose the matching available OCR language, then search multiple fields and compare names, figures, tables, and punctuation with the scan.
Prepare the scan
OCR can add searchable text to image-based pages, but it can also confuse characters or reading order. Better capture and the matching available language improve the starting point without making the result certain.
Try searching for a visible word or selecting a sentence. If both already work, the PDF has a text layer and another tool may be the better next step.
Use the clearest source, correct crop and orientation, and avoid blur, shadows, clipped edges, or tiny text where possible before uploading the PDF.
Search several names and numbers, copy samples from different page types, and compare punctuation, tables, columns, handwriting, and right-to-left passages with the scan.
Use TapScanner on iPhone or Android to capture, crop, rotate, and arrange paper pages before bringing the exported PDF to OCR.
OCR PDF is a Premium tool
OCR is the Premium tool that turns a scan into a searchable, selectable PDF — and it is what makes PDF-to-Word usable on scanned input.
Usually next: Convert the searchable PDF to Word or Excel, or ask questions about its content.
Paddle shows the exact amount, taxes, renewal date, and any eligible trial before you confirm. Stop future renewals yourself from your TapScanner billing account.
Work with confidence
OCR PDF requires a TapScanner Premium plan. The requirement is shown before processing.
TapScanner web's application data layer rejects filenames and document contents. Published analytics destinations require separate configuration verification.
Hosted processing paths may use temporary files. In the pinned core's normal download path, the output file is removed when the stream closes; scheduled cleanup covers stale temporary files.
Web tools may send files to TapScanner's hosted processing service. We do not currently offer a customer-selectable processing region, so do not assume processing stays on your device or in a particular country.
Delete-now is available only when a result screen explicitly offers it; it is not yet supported by every web tool.
Open the downloaded result and verify important pages, values, formatting, and permissions before relying on it.
Compare PDF tools
Match the tool to the result you need now. The current choice is shown first, followed by three focused alternatives for a different document outcome.
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Before you start
Questions
OCR PDF is a TapScanner Premium tool. The workspace shows that requirement before processing, so you can review the available plan before the job starts.
Clear high-resolution scans, straight pages, readable fonts, and the correct language produce better results than blurred, skewed, or low-contrast images.
No. TapScanner runs in a modern web browser, so you can upload, process, and download the result without installing desktop software.
Add your file and finish the job. The limits that apply are shown before processing starts, not after it fails.
Open OCR PDF