Ctrl K

★ My Tools

📘 Step-by-step guide

How to Use OCR PDF – Complete Guide

Read the text from scanned PDF files and photos of pages. Get a searchable PDF, or copy the text. Telugu, Hindi, English and many more languages. The reading happens in your browser.

⏱ 5 min read🛠 PDF Tools🔒 Free · Works on your device
🚀 Open OCR PDF

⚡ Quick answer

A scanned PDF is only a picture of a page, so you cannot select, copy or search its words. OCR (optical character recognition) reads the picture and turns it into real text. This tool does it online, free, and supports Telugu, Hindi, English and many other languages.

Open OCR PDF, follow the steps below, and you are done in a minute or two. No sign-in is needed.

📋 How to use OCR PDF – step by step

  1. Upload your scanned PDF by clicking or dragging it into the upload area
  2. Choose the main language, for example Telugu, and an extra language such as English
  3. Choose the pages and the quality. For small print and Telugu, "Best" works better
  4. Choose if you also want a searchable PDF
  5. Click "Read Text (OCR)" and wait. You can see which page it is on
  6. Copy the text, or save it as TXT or Word. The searchable PDF downloads automatically

💡 Why use this tool?

Many offices, schools and old records still keep documents as scans. Typing them again takes hours. This tool does the reading for you, including Telugu, which many online tools do not support well or charge for.

Unlike many online OCR services, your PDF is not sent to a server. It is read on your own device, so private documents stay private. There is no sign-up and no page limit from us.

✨ Features at a glance

  • Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, English and many more languages
  • Two languages at the same time, for example Telugu and English
  • Searchable PDF with the same pages and an invisible text layer
  • Copy the text, or save it as TXT or Word
  • Correct mistakes in the text box before saving
  • Choose pages, and skip pages that already have text
  • Three quality levels, with time left shown while it works
  • Picture improvement, noise removal and layout choice for newspapers
  • Draw boxes to ignore pictures, or to read only one article
  • Lines of a paragraph are joined into running text
  • List of corrections that can be remembered on your device
  • Stop button, and a note about how accurate the result is
  • Works with rotated pages
  • No upload of your file and no sign-up
  • Free to use

🎯 Helpful tips

  • Keep a copy of your original file. Work on the copy so you can always go back.
  • Check the result by opening it once before you send it to someone.
  • Large or scanned files may take a little longer. Keep the tab open until the download starts.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Does it really read Telugu?

Yes. Choose Telugu as the main language. It works well on clean printed Telugu text. Old, blurry or very small print gives more mistakes, so please read the result once and correct it in the text box.

Is my document uploaded to a server?

No. Your PDF is read inside your browser. Only the OCR engine and the language data are downloaded from the internet, once, and kept on your device.

Why does it take so long the first time?

The first time, the language data has to be downloaded, and Telugu and other Indian languages are bigger. Next time it starts much faster.

There are mistakes in the text. What can I do?

Newspaper columns, small print and low quality scans are the hardest. Try these: choose "High accuracy" and "Very sharp", keep "Improve the picture first" ticked, and make sure the language is right. Then correct the repeated mistakes in the box under the text: write the wrong word, an equals sign and the right word, and click the button. The list can be remembered on your device for the next time.

A photo or advertisement spoils the text. What can I do?

In Step 3, draw a box around the picture. Everything inside the box is ignored. You can also choose "Read only inside the boxes" and draw a box around the one article you need. A box can apply to all pages or to one page.

Why is every line separate in the text?

Scanned columns break a sentence at the end of each line. Under the text there is a tick box that joins the lines of each paragraph into running text. If you want the lines as in the paper, untick it.

Can it read handwriting?

No. It is made for printed text. Handwriting is usually not read correctly.

What is a searchable PDF?

It looks exactly like your original scan, but has an invisible text layer on top. You can search for words, select text and copy it from the PDF.

How can I get better results?
  • Choose the right language, and add English if the page has English words
  • Use the "Best" or "Very sharp" quality for small print and for Indian languages, and "High accuracy" for reading
  • Use straight, clear scans. Tilted or dark pages give worse results
  • If a page is sideways, fix it first with the Rotate PDF tool
Can I read only some pages?

Yes. Choose "Pages I choose" and type for example 1-3, 5.

Can I use it on a password protected PDF?

No. Remove the password first. You can protect the new file again afterwards.

Is it free?

Yes, this tool is completely free to use.

Ready to try it?

OCR PDF is free and your files stay on your device.

🚀 Open OCR PDF