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PDF OCR

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OCR a PDF to get text from scanned documents

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OCR a PDF online

No need to install any software to recognize text in a PDF file. With PDF Candy, you can easily and hassle-free apply OCR online to your documents.

19 languages supported

Our advanced system allows us to OCR a PDF in 19 languages. Simply select the needed option after the file uploading. Please find the full list of OCR languages below in the FAQ section.

Compatible with any device and OS

Whichever OS you are using, we got you covered. As long as you are connected to the Internet, OCR PDF file online on any computer, laptop, phone, or tablet.

Free PDF OCR service

Enjoy an OCR tool absolutely free of charge with no necessary registration. No pop-ups or ads either.

Accurate OCR

Even if a PDF is a scanned document, this PDF OCR tool is safeguarding your content and aiming at providing the most error-free output file possible.

Cloud-based solution

The online OCR process might be time-consuming, given how complex the process is. We use cloud-based servers to provide you with the fastest solution on the market.
"PDF OCR" rating: 
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How to OCR PDF?

1Upload a PDF by clicking the corresponding button or via drag and drop mechanism. Alternatively, use Google Drive or Dropbox to add a file.
2Choose the OCR language. This will improve the PDF text recognition results.
3Click the "Start" button to initiate the process.
4Download your output text document or share it further.

FAQ: How to OCR a PDF?

What is OCR?
Briefly, OCR, or Optical Character Recognition, is a technology that’s being used to extract handwritten, typed or printed text from an image.
Which OCR languages are supported?
The following PDF OCR languages are supported: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Indonesian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Turkish, Russian, Thai, Polish, and Arabic.
When do I need to use OCR?
Say, you have a scanned document of low quality but you need to edit PDF or at least make it readable. OCR was created to "read" documents and create an editable text version of them. In addition, if you work with historical documents, such as old newspapers or magazines, OCR is an ideal solution for archiving information and further distribution.
Is the PDF OCR tool safe and secure?
Each file is processed in our secure server environment and, after successful conversion, it is automatically deleted within 2 hours to ensure its safety and privacy.
Is there a desktop version of this online PDF OCR?
Yes, download the desktop version of the service for Windows and process files offline.
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Desktop + Web Yearly
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  • Access to PDF Candy Web
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  • No hourly limits
  • Increase file size per task up to 500 MB
  • High priority processing (No queue)
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Web Monthly
$6/month
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  • Access to PDF Candy Web
  • No hourly limits
  • Increase file size per task up to 500 MB
  • High priority processing (No queue)
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Desktop + Web Lifetime
$99
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What is included?
  • Access to PDF Candy Web
  • Access to PDF Candy Desktop
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