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OCR PDF — Make Scanned PDFs Searchable

OCR a scanned PDF online without uploading. Extract text and download a searchable PDF with an invisible text layer — privately in your browser.

OCR a scanned PDF privately — no upload

Turn image-only scans into searchable, selectable PDFs without sending the file anywhere. Pages are rendered locally, recognized with an in-browser OCR engine, and exported with an invisible text layer so Find and copy work as expected.

What you can do with it

Search a scanned contract or statement
Run OCR once, then use Find in any PDF reader to jump to names, dates, or clause numbers.
Copy text from a paper document you scanned
Download the extracted .txt or copy from the preview, without retyping.
Keep sensitive scans off third-party OCR servers
Medical, legal, and financial scans stay on your device while still becoming searchable.

How to OCR a PDF online without uploading

  1. Open your scanned PDF — it loads locally with no upload.
  2. Choose the OCR language and click Run OCR. Wait while each page is recognized in your browser.
  3. Download a searchable PDF, a plain-text file, or copy the extracted text.

Make scanned PDFs searchable without uploading

Phone scans and flatbed exports are image-only — Find, copy, and screen readers fail. Local OCR adds an invisible text layer so the PDF becomes searchable while page images stay on your device. That matters for ID packets, medical charts, and archived paper that must not leave the machine.

OCR before Word, images, or hard compression

Run OCR first when you need text for PDF to Word or later editing. Export pages to images when you want a photo archive instead of (or in addition to) a searchable PDF. Compress after OCR if email size is the bottleneck — aggressive shrink first can hurt character quality.

Related reading and tools

  • OCR a scanned PDF privately — When and how to add a searchable text layer without uploading.
  • PDF to JPG — Export page images when you need previews, not text search.
  • PDF to Word — Convert to editable .docx after OCR has recovered the text.

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF uploaded when I run OCR?
No. Recognition runs entirely in your browser with a WebAssembly OCR engine. Your document never leaves your device.
What gets downloaded to my browser?
The OCR engine (WASM) is served from this site. Language packs (a few megabytes each) download from a public CDN the first time you use a language and are cached by your browser. Only the engine and language data are fetched — not your PDF.
What is a searchable PDF?
A searchable PDF keeps your original page appearance and adds an invisible text layer so you can select, copy, and find text. The pages look the same; the text is underneath.
How accurate is the OCR?
Accuracy depends on scan quality, resolution, and language. Clear, high-contrast scans work best. Crooked or low-resolution pages may need a better scan.
Does OCR modify my original file?
No. A new searchable PDF (and optional plain-text file) is created when you download. Your original stays unchanged on disk.

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