PDF OCR - Recognize text - easily, online, free (2024)

PDF24Tools

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PDF24 Creator

Recognize text via OCR and create searchable PDF files.

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4.9(5,342 votes)

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Information

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How to recognize text

Select your files you want to apply OCR for or drop the files into the file box. Modify the settings and start the OCR. After a few seconds you can download your new searchable PDF files.

OCR settings

You can modify several settings to control the OCR process. You can save as PDF/A, remove artefacts and noise, deskew pages, set meta information and join to a single output file.

Easy to use

PDF24 makes it as easy as possible for you to recognize text via OCR. You don't need to install and worry about any software, you just have to choose your files you want to apply OCR for.

Supports your system

You do not need any special system to recognize text via OCR. This OCR app runs in your browser and therefore functions under all operating systems. Just drop your files and start OCR.

No installation required

You don't need to download or install any software. The text is recognized on our servers in the cloud and therefore will not consume any resources from your computer.

Security is important to us

This OCR tool does not store your files on our server longer than necessary. Your files and results will be deleted from our server after a short period of time. File transmissions are SSL secured.

Developed by Stefan Ziegler

What others are saying

This tool allows me to apply OCR to my scanned documents and invoices very easily. I get a searchable PDF/A back for archiving.
I use this tool to convert images and photos taken with my smart-phone into searchable PDFs, so that I can search and copy text.

Questions and Answers

How can I recognize text in files using OCR?

  1. Use the file selection box at the top of the page to select the files in which you want to recognize text.
  2. Change the settings to tell the app how the text recognition should work.
  3. Start the recognition by pressing the corresponding button.
  4. Press the Download button to save the PDFs with recognized text to your computer.

Is it secure to use PDF24 Tools?

PDF24 takes the protection of files and data very seriously. We want our users to be able to trust us. Security aspects are therefore a permanent part of our work.

  1. All file transfers are encrypted.
  2. All files are automatically deleted from the processing server within one hour after processing.
  3. We do not store files and do not evaluate them. Files will only be used for the intended purpose.
  4. PDF24 is operated by a German company, Geek Software GmbH. All processing servers are located in data centres within the EU.
  5. Alternatively, you can get a desktop version of the PDF24 tools with the PDF24 Creator. All files remain on your computer here, as this software works offline.

Can I use PDF24 on a Mac, Linux or Smartphone?

Yes, you can use PDF24 Tools on any system with which you have access to the Internet. Open PDF24 Tools in a web browser such as Chrome and use the tools directly in the web browser. You do not need to install any other software.

You can also install PDF24 as an app on your smartphone. To do so, open the PDF24 Tools in Chrome on your smartphone. Then click on the "Install" icon in the upper right corner of the address bar or add PDF24 to your start screen via the Chrome menu.

Can I use PDF24 offline without an Internet connection?

Yes, Windows users can also use PDF24 offline, i.e. without an Internet connection. Simply download the free PDF24 Creator and install the software. The PDF24 Creator brings all PDF24 tools to your PC as a desktop application. Users of other operating systems should continue to use PDF24 Tools.

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PDF OCR - Recognize text - easily, online, free (2024)

FAQs

How do I extract text from a PDF OCR for free? ›

Use Xodo's online PDF to Text converter with OCR to convert your scanned PDFs into Text files you can search and edit. Simply upload your scanned or image PDF, click on Convert to initiate the conversion, and download your editable TXT file upon completion.

What is the best free PDF OCR online? ›

Docsumo. Docsumo is a free online OCR tool, a program and a Chrome extension that allows users to convert scanned documents and images into editable and searchable text files. Besides, it also helps with converting PDF to Excel or image.

What is the free PDF editor that recognize text? ›

PDF24 makes it as easy as possible for you to recognize text via OCR. You don't need to install and worry about any software, you just have to choose your files you want to apply OCR for.

How do I make a PDF OCR searchable for free? ›

How To Do OCR on PDF for Free
  1. ​​Import or drag & drop your file to our PDF OCR tool.
  2. Wait a few seconds while our OCR tech works its magic.
  3. Edit the PDF with our other tools if needed.
  4. Download or share your editable PDF file—done!

How do I recognize text in a PDF using OCR? ›

Open Scan and OCR Tool

If you open a PDF with un-recognized text, click the main document of the PDF. From the menu, choose Recognize Text. This will open the Scan and OCR tool. You can also right click the main document and choose Recognize Text from the menu.

Is there a free app that reads text from PDF? ›

Speech Central AI Voice Reader Pro is a free with in-app purchases audio PDF reader available on IOS, Mac, Android, and Microsoft platforms. It offers text to speech capabilities for various content types, OCR scanning, the ability to annotate documents, synchronization with Pocket, and export options.

Is there a totally free PDF editor? ›

Sejda, like PDF Candy and Smallpdf, is one of the best free PDF editors available online in your browser.

How can I convert a PDF to an editable text for free? ›

How to convert PDFs to Word
  1. Click the Select a file button above, or drag and drop a file into the drop zone.
  2. Select the PDF you want to convert to the DOCX file format.
  3. Watch Acrobat automatically convert the file from PDF to an editable Word document.
  4. Download your file.

Is PDFcandy safe? ›

It is a safe place to upload your important documents, because the security of this free online service is such that you can even upload and process sensitive content files. The site's SSL certificate secures PDF Candy connections.

Is there any free OCR? ›

Ocular. Ocular is an open-source OCR system that is free to use and enables the conversion of historical and printed documents into digital formats. Written in Java, it is fully compatible with Windows, Linux and macOS operating systems, making it a versatile tool for all users.

What is the difference between OCR and searchable PDF? ›

The basic function of a searchable-PDF is to make image-based PDFs text-searchable. To do this, OCR (Optimal Character Recognition) is applied to the document. This recognition tool is able to read handwritten text in a variety of fonts and digitise it for use on a computer. OCR technology dates back to the 1970s.

How can I use Google OCR for free? ›

Convert an Image File or PDF to Text Using Google Drive
  1. On your computer, upload your file to Google Drive. ...
  2. Right-click on the file.
  3. As you open your image on Google Docs, you'll find your image file along with the extracted text thanks to OCR.

Is there a way to extract text from a PDF? ›

Open the PDF document using a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat Reader. Select the text you want to extract by dragging your mouse cursor over the desired area. Right-click on the selected text and choose the "Copy" option. Open a text editor or word processing software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Google Docs).

Is OCR text scanner free? ›

With Docsumo's free OCR tool, extract data accurately from any image or pdf document in any layout without any manual setup.

How do I copy text from a PDF in OCR? ›

Select OCR PDF to create the PDF searchable. Open the PDF. Highlight the text you want to copy, right-click with your mouse, and select copy. Alternatively, highlight the text and use the keyboard shortcuts Command + C for Mac and Control + C for Windows.

How do I extract text from OCR? ›

Follow these steps to use OCR to copy text from an image:
  1. Open your OCR app to scan a document.
  2. Wait until your app prompts you to scan or until it has recognized text.
  3. Scan the image.
  4. Edit or extract text from the document.

References

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