OCR PDF — Turn Scanned PDFs into Text
When you open a scanned document or a PDF made from photos, you cannot select, search or copy the words inside — because that text is really just an image. The OCR PDF tool uses optical character recognition to detect the text in those images and convert it into real, selectable text.
Haven PDF’s OCR engine supports many languages. You can recognize an entire page or just a region you select (for example a table, a heading or a single paragraph). You can edit the recognized text, place it over the old image and export the result.
Most importantly, OCR runs entirely in your browser, on your device. Your documents are never uploaded to a server. That means you can turn scanned contracts, receipts or official paperwork into text without giving up your privacy. No sign-up, no payment, no install.
How to
- Open the scanned PDF. Drag and drop the scanned or image-based PDF you want to convert to text.
- Run OCR. Recognize the whole page or select a region to convert only that area to text.
- Edit and download. Review the recognized text, edit if needed, and download your PDF.
Frequently asked questions
- Is my file uploaded to a server during OCR?
- No. Character recognition happens entirely in your browser; your scanned PDF never leaves your device.
- Which languages are supported?
- The OCR engine supports many languages, including documents with non-English characters.
- Can I OCR just one area?
- Yes. Recognize the whole page, or select a rectangle to convert only the text in that region.
- Is it free?
- Yes, completely free. No sign-up, no payment, no install required.
- How do I make a scanned PDF searchable?
- Open the scanned PDF, run OCR on the whole page or a selected region, and the text in the image becomes selectable, searchable text — all in your browser with no upload.