OCR: make a PDF searchable
Brother Reader reads the text of your scanned pages and lays it over them, invisible: your PDF becomes searchable and copyable.
or drop it here
No file leaves your device, from import to download.
How to do it
- Drop a scanned PDF in the area above, or choose it on your device.
- Click “Read the text”: each page without text is read.
- Download the copy: search finds the words, selection copies them.
OCR lets you find a word in a scanned document, or copy a passage without typing it again.
Brother Reader does everything on your device: your documents never leave your computer or your phone.
Frequently asked questions
What is OCR?
Optical character recognition: the text that a page's picture shows is read, then laid over it, invisible. The page looks the same, but its words can be searched and copied.
Is my PDF sent to a server?
No. The reading happens in your browser, on your device. No file is sent or stored.
Which languages are read?
English and French. A letter the PDF's font cannot write loses its accent.
Are pages that already have text read?
No. Only pages with fewer than 50 characters of text are read; the others stay as they are.
How long does it take?
A few seconds per page. The first reading also downloads the reading engine, once.