Is OCR PDF free to use?

Yes. OCR PDF is free with generous limits — no account required.

Where is my file processed?

This tool runs on the PDF AutoPilot processing server rather than in your browser. Your file is sent there over the connection, processed, and returned immediately — it isn't kept afterwards.

Why isn't this one done in my browser?

Text recognition needs a full OCR engine, which is too heavy to run well in the browser, so it's handled server-side. Most other PDF AutoPilot tools still run entirely on your device.

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OCR PDF

Recognize text in scanned PDFs so you can search, select, and copy it.

100% free
Processed on your PDF AutoPilot server
No sign-up

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How to ocr pdf

1
Upload a scanned PDF.
2
The PDF AutoPilot server recognizes the text on every page.
3
An invisible, searchable text layer is added over the scan.
4
Download a PDF you can search, select, and copy from.

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Guides & tutorials

Step-by-step help that uses OCR PDF.

All guides

How to Convert PDF to Word (and Keep the Formatting) 6 min read