How to make a scanned PDF searchable with OCR
Upload a scanned PDF to OCR PDF, select the pages you need, confirm the credit quote and download a searchable PDF. The result contains rasterized page images and an English OCR text layer.
Add an English text layer to scanned pages, choose pages, understand OCR credits and check recognition accuracy.
By the PandaConverter product team · Updated October 22, 2026
Check whether the PDF already has text
Try selecting a sentence or searching for a word in your PDF reader. If the document already contains correct selectable text, PDF to TXT or PDF to Markdown can extract it without OCR. OCR is intended for scans and photographs; it can introduce errors into a document whose existing text was already correct.
Prepare a readable source
Use clear, upright scans with good contrast. Small type, skewed pages, handwriting and unusual layouts reduce accuracy. English is the initial supported language. The converter rasterizes selected pages at a bounded resolution; vector content becomes part of the page image.
Choose pages and review the cost
Enter page numbers and ranges, such as 1,3-5, or leave the selection blank for every page. Free supports ten OCR pages per job and Pro supports 50, within the general 25 or 200 source-page cap. OCR costs one credit per selected page. The output includes only the selected pages, in selection order.
Verify the searchable output
Open the download and search for several words from different pages. Copy a paragraph into a text editor and check names, amounts and punctuation. OCR provides a draft text layer, not a guarantee of accurate transcription. Keep the original scan when exact wording matters.
Use OCR text in another format
Once the searchable PDF is ready, you can use PDF to TXT, Markdown, DOCX or Excel. The next converter reads the recognized text; it cannot automatically correct recognition mistakes or reconstruct a complex original layout.