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PPDF123

Convert a Scanned PDF to Markdown

Scanned PDF to Markdown reads image pages with OCR, reuses text where the PDF already has it, and returns one .md file. It does not add a text layer to the PDF and has no language setting.

Drag and drop files here, or click to choose

Accepts PDF · up to 500.0 MB per file · up to 20 files at once

You can also paste a file with Ctrl/Cmd+V, or from the clipboard menu.

Markdown is the format of notes apps, documentation sites and code repositories, and a scanned PDF cannot be pasted into any of them. This page reads the PDF with OCR where a page is an image, reuses the text where a page already has it, and returns a single .md file where headings, paragraphs and lists are kept when they can be detected.

This page uses Normal mode, which recognizes only the pages that need it, so a mixed document is processed quickly. Choose Force OCR on the Markdown OCR tool if the existing text layer is garbled and you want every page recognized again. The original PDF is not changed and no text layer is added to it.

Be aware of two things. This engine has no language setting, so if you need to pick the language of a scan, use OCR PDF to Text, which offers up to four languages. And recognition is only as good as the scan: blurry, skewed or handwritten pages will have mistakes, so read the Markdown before you publish it. Files can be up to 500 MB.

Features

  • One .md file with headings, paragraphs and lists where detected
  • Existing text reused, image pages recognized
  • Normal mode preset; Force OCR available on the Markdown OCR tool
  • Original PDF left unchanged
  • No account required

When to use this tool

  • Moving a scanned manual or article into a notes app or docs site
  • Putting a scanned README or spec into a repository
  • Preparing scanned pages as Markdown for a retrieval or AI workflow

How do I convert a scanned PDF to Markdown?

  1. Upload the scanned PDF
  2. Keep the preset Normal mode, or switch to Force OCR if the existing text is poor
  3. Click Process
  4. Download the .md file and proofread it

Limits and edge cases

  • No language setting; use OCR PDF to Text when the language matters
  • Layout is reduced to Markdown; complex tables and columns may not survive
  • Handwriting and very poor scans are not recognized reliably

Test results and conditions

  • Markdown OCR uses a different engine from the Tesseract tools on this site and needs its own runtime on the server, so we have not published accuracy figures for it; read the output before you use it.

Privacy for this tool

Files are uploaded over HTTPS, processed in memory or a short-lived temporary directory on our servers, and deleted when your result is ready. We do not keep copies for later browsing, training, or advertising profiles. See the Privacy Policy for retention details and AdSense cookie disclosures.

Frequently asked questions

Does the PDF become searchable?
No. This tool returns a separate .md file. Use OCR PDF with the Searchable PDF result if you want the PDF itself to carry a text layer.
Can I choose the language?
Not on this tool. OCR PDF to Text lets you pick up to four languages and returns plain text.
What is the difference between Normal and Force?
Normal recognizes only pages without a usable text layer. Force recognizes every page again, which helps when the existing layer is garbled.
How is this different from PDF to Markdown?
PDF to Markdown reads only the existing text and returns nothing useful for scans. This tool adds OCR for the image pages.

Last updated:

Call this from code

Every tool on this site is a plain REST endpoint - no account or API key needed for anonymous use. Built for AI agents and developers as much as for browsers.

curl -X POST "https://pdf123.xyz/api/v1/misc/ocr-pdf" \
  -F "[email protected]" \
  -F "outputFormat=markdown" \
  -F "ocrType=force-ocr" \
  -F "languages=eng" \
  -o output.pdf

Also available as an MCP tool for agent clients that speak Model Context Protocol (JSON-RPC 2.0 over POST /mcp). Full API reference

Use it from an AI agent

Skill

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other AI agents can run OCR PDF for you with this skill: /skills/pdf123-ocr.md

All agent skills

Files are used only for this processing job and deleted automatically afterward.