OCR PDF renders selected pages and sends the images through the locally loaded Tesseract.js worker. It returns recognized text rather than a searchable PDF.
InputA scanned PDF
OutputRecognized text for copy or TXT download
RequirementsA network connection may be needed to load PDF.js, Tesseract, and language data. Select a supported OCR language and page range.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these essential instructions to achieve optimal results when using OCR PDF:
Upload a scanned PDF.
Choose the recognition language and optional pages or ranges.
Select Extract Text and wait while each page is recognized.
Review the text, then copy it or download the TXT file.
Interactive Tutorial
Visual Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Follow these real interface screenshots captured directly from OCR PDF. Every step highlights the exact buttons, selections, and downloads. Click any screenshot or "Launch Fullscreen Viewer" to inspect in high resolution.
Step 1 of 7 Upload Drop Zone (#drop)
Open OCR PDF
What to do:
Open OCR PDF to recognize and extract text from scanned documents or photos.
What you will see:
The drop area accepts scanned PDF documents or image files.
Next:
Select or drag your scanned document into the upload zone.
Tip:
OCR uses an embedded client-side neural recognition engine.
Step 2 of 7 File Browser (#fin)
Upload Scanned Document
What to do:
Select your scanned PDF containing images of printed text.
What you will see:
The document loads and total page count is detected.
Next:
Configure the language and page range settings below.
Tip:
Higher-resolution scans yield higher character recognition accuracy.
Step 3 of 7 Language Dropdown (#lang)
Select Document Language
What to do:
Choose the primary language of the text in your document (e.g. English, Spanish, German).
What you will see:
The dropdown updates the language training model used for character matching.
Next:
Set the language matching your document text.
Tip:
Selecting the exact language dramatically improves accuracy for accented characters and punctuation.
Step 4 of 7 Page Range (#pgrange)
Set Page Range
What to do:
Specify which pages to process, or leave blank to process all pages.
What you will see:
The input confirms your selected page limits.
Next:
Move to the primary "Recognize Text" button.
Tip:
For large documents, testing OCR on pages 1-2 first allows you to verify recognition quality quickly.
Step 5 of 7 OCR Action Button (#goBtn)
Click Recognize Text
What to do:
Click the primary "Recognize Text" button.
What you will see:
The optical character recognition engine analyzes letter glyphs and words page by page.
Next:
Allow the engine to complete character extraction.
Tip:
A progress readout shows real-time page recognition status.
Step 6 of 7 Text Result Area (#ocrResult)
Review Recognized Text
What to do:
Inspect the extracted text rendered directly inside the editable result pane.
What you will see:
The pane displays selectable, editable text organized by paragraphs and lines.
Next:
Verify words and numbers for accuracy.
Tip:
You can make inline edits directly in the text box before exporting.
Step 7 of 7 Action Buttons (copyText, downloadTxt)
Copy or Download Output
What to do:
Click "Copy Text" to copy directly to clipboard or click "Download .txt" to save a file.
What you will see:
The copy confirmation confirms text is on your clipboard ready to paste into any editor.
Next:
Paste into Word, Google Docs, or save your text file.
Tip:
No scan data ever leaves your device during the entire OCR process.
Tips & Best Practices
Clear, high-resolution scans and the correct language improve recognition.
Run a few pages first to check accuracy before processing a long document.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Expecting perfect recognition from skewed or low-resolution scans.
Choosing the wrong language for the document.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
If language data cannot load, check connectivity and retry.
If the browser becomes slow, process fewer pages at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OCR create a searchable PDF?
No. It outputs recognized text and a text download.
Is OCR fully offline?
Required libraries and language data may be loaded from CDNs.