How to Extract Text from Scanned PDFs with OCR?

Turn scanned images and uncopyable PDF files into editable, searchable documents. Scanned PDFs are essentially flat images, meaning you cannot highlight, search, or copy text within them. WeLovePDF's Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scanner resolves this by analyzing the pixel shapes and mapping them to text streams locally in your browser sandbox.

Steps to Perform OCR on PDF:

1. Upload Scan: Drag and drop your scanned PDF document.
2. Set Language: Select the primary document language (English, Hindi, etc.) for high recognition accuracy.
3. Process: Click "Run Tool" to extract the text characters.
4. Download: Save the searchable PDF or plain text outline.

Tips for Maximizing OCR Accuracy:

Ensure your scan is clear and free from skew angles (if tilted, run our Deskew Scan tool first). Selecting the correct language from our 50+ list prevents recognition errors on characters. Scanned invoices and receipts compile text layers instantly, showing confidence scores so you can review low-contrast matches before saving.