OCR a scanned PDF

Run OCR on a scanned or image-based PDF to make its text searchable and editable.

PDFs created from scanned paper documents are just images — the text is not real text, so you cannot search it or edit it. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) converts the scan into a searchable PDF.

Run OCR

1. Open the scanned PDF.
2. Tap the Tools tab, then find and tap OCR in the Optimise group.
3. Select the language of your document and tap Run OCR.
4. Kiwi PDF processes each page and adds an invisible text layer over the scans.

When complete, you can:

• Search the text (tap the magnifying glass in the reader).
• Edit the text with the Edit Text tool (see Edit text).

Which languages are supported?

Kiwi PDF uses the OCR engine built into your device:

• iOS / Mac — Apple Vision framework; supports most Latin, CJK and other scripts.
• Android — Google ML Kit; supports a wide range of languages when Google Play Services is installed.
• Web — uses the browser's built-in capabilities where available.

Select the primary language of your document before running OCR for best results.

Tips for better OCR results

• Make sure the scan is straight and well-lit. Tilted or dark scans produce more errors.
• Scan at 300 dpi or higher if you are creating a new scan.
• After OCR, use Edit Text to correct any recognition errors.