Is OCR really free without an account?

Yes — guests can run OCR within per-plan limits. Signing in and paid plans raise the limits; the feature itself is never paid-only.

How accurate is the text recognition?

Very good on clean scans in the right language, lower on blurry photos or handwriting. Always proofread the output before relying on it.

Can I OCR a photo taken with my phone?

Yes — JPG and PNG photos work. Flatten the page and avoid shadows for the best result.

What output formats can I get?

A searchable PDF, plain text, or an editable Word document.

Free OCR Online

Turn a scan or photo of a document into text you can search, copy and edit. OCR on PDFZivo is free for everyone — including guests — within per-plan limits, and it is never locked behind a paywall.

Free Encrypted Deleted in 1 hour

1Upload
2Configure
3Download

Drag & drop your file here

or click to browse · Up to 15 MB

Select file

Accepted: PDF

256-bit SSL encrypted No sign-up to start Auto-deleted in 1 hour

Your files are processed temporarily and deleted automatically — there is no general cloud storage. File deletion.

How to ocr pdf

Simple steps — no software to install.

1
Upload a scan or photo
PDF, JPG or PNG — even a phone photo of a page works.
2
Pick the language
Matching the document language significantly improves accuracy.
3
Run OCR
We recognize the text and build your chosen output.
4
Download and proofread
Get searchable PDF, text or Word — and give it a quick check.

Why use our OCR PDF

Secure & private

Files are encrypted in transit and deleted automatically after processing.

Fast results

Optimized processing returns your file in seconds.

Free to start

Core tools are free with daily limits — no install required.

Works anywhere

Runs in your browser on any device, anywhere in the world.

Genuinely free, with honest limits

Guests and free accounts can run OCR every day within fair per-plan limits; paid plans simply raise those limits. There is no trial that expires and no feature wall on the OCR itself.

Many languages, real accuracy

Pick the document language for the best result — English plus major Indian and world languages are supported. OCR output should always be proofread: accuracy depends on scan quality, and no OCR is perfect.

Choose your output

Get a searchable PDF (the text layer sits invisibly over the scan), plain text, or a Word file you can edit. Files are processed temporarily and deleted automatically — there is no general cloud storage.

Free for everyone, incl. guests
Never paid-only — limits, not walls
Many languages supported
Searchable PDF, TXT or Word output
Files auto-deleted after processing