How to Make a Scanned PDF Searchable (OCR) for Free

Scanned PDFs are just images — you cannot search or copy text. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) converts them to searchable, selectable text.

Open Fourmeld PDF OCR

Go to fourmeld.com/pdf-tools and select OCR PDF.

Upload your scanned PDF

Upload the scanned PDF that contains image-only pages.

Select language

Choose the language of the document text for best OCR accuracy.

Download searchable PDF

Click Apply OCR. Download the new PDF — text is now searchable, selectable and copyable.

Tips

• Always download the result before closing your browser
• Works with large PDFs — no file size limit
• No signup needed — process immediately

FAQs

Is this really free?

Yes — all Fourmeld PDF tools are 100% free with no signup, no watermark.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes — works in any mobile browser including Chrome and Safari.

Are my files kept private?

Yes — files are processed securely and deleted after download.