100% private & secure
Recognition runs entirely on your device - your PDF is never uploaded to a server.
OCR Your PDF Online
Turn unselectable, scanned PDFs into searchable, selectable, high-quality documents - with English OCR that runs right in your browser.
Drop your PDF here or click to browse
Recognized 100% in your browser · English & Chinese supported · All Tools max 30 pages
Why choose our OCR tool
Fast, private and free.
Searchable PDF
Keeps the original image quality and adds a selectable text layer on top.
Accurate English OCR
Optimized for English text by default, with Chinese support when you need it.
Done in three easy steps
From start to download in under a minute.
Choose your PDF
Drag a scanned or unselectable PDF into the dashed area.
Choose the language
English is selected by default - just watch pages get recognized.
Download the result
Get a searchable PDF or plain text TXT file.
OCR your PDF online
Convert scanned PDFs into searchable, selectable documents right in your browser. pdf.js renders each page, tesseract.js runs English OCR locally on your device, and pdf-lib bakes the text layer back over the original image - no server, no upload, no registration required.
Scanned pages, photo screenshots and image-only PDFs contain text you can't select or search. After OCR, that text becomes copyable, searchable and selectable - so you can work with it like any digital document. Your file never leaves your device.
Common use cases
- Digitize scanned documents - turn scanned contracts and invoices into selectable text.
- Search your research - make your PDF library full-text searchable.
- Extract text from image PDFs - pull the words out of screenshot-style PDFs.
Why it beats desktop software
- Works anywhere - no install needed, usable from any browser on any platform.
- Zero privacy risk - recognition runs locally and your file is never uploaded.
- Keeps the original - recognition preserves the original image quality.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions.
Is OCR really free?
Yes - unlimited recognition, no watermark, no registration. Everything runs locally in your browser.
How accurate is the recognition?
Clear scans of printed English text are recognized very accurately. Handwriting, blurry images or low-resolution scans will be less accurate.
Will my file be uploaded?
No. OCR runs entirely on your device and your PDF is never uploaded to any server.