Private by default
PDF pages, filenames, recognized words, confidence, and generated files stay in this browser tab. Session replay is disabled, and source-content analytics are disabled.
OCR / Searchable PDF
Make scanned PDFs searchable without uploading them.
Make scanned PDF pages searchable while the document and recognition work stay in your browser. Choose all pages or a validated range, review detected words and confidence, then download a PDF that preserves each visible page image with an aligned hidden text layer plus optional TXT. Recognition is for printed English, not handwriting, and low-quality scans require careful review.
No upload · no account · no watermarkAll pages or validated rangesSearchable PDF + TXTPrinted text · not handwriting recognition
OCR searchable PDF workspace
Document setup
All pages stay in this browser. Selected pages render at 300 DPI for high-resolution recognition.
Drop a scanned PDF
PDF only · up to 50 MB and 60 pages
Exact local English assets
English 4.0.0_best_int · 2.8 MB · SHA-256 45b4cb346724… · Apache-2.0 language data. Cached after first use; remove it by clearing this site's stored data. Automatic mode never downloads an unlisted language.
Page review
Searchable layer preview
Blue boxes show the invisible text layer that will sit over the preserved page image.
Your page preview will appear here
Choose the page range, confirm the installed language, and run OCR. No page pixels or recognized text leave this browser.
Choose a scanned or image-only PDF to begin.
Review the evidence
Page progress, confidence, word boxes, line grouping, language guidance, and a read-only transcript stay visible before export.
Prove the output
PdfEditorOnlineFree reopens the generated PDF and checks page count, dimensions, visible images, selected-page text, and coordinate bounds before showing the download.
How private OCR works
The page remains visible. Searchable text sits behind it.
1. Select pages
Open one scanned PDF and keep all pages or enter ranges such as 1,3-5.
2. Prepare at 300 DPI
Rotate when needed and apply bounded contrast, threshold, denoise, and small-skew correction.
3. Review English OCR
Automatic mode suggests only the installed English data; manual English override stays available.
4. Validate and download
Copy or download TXT, then create a searchable PDF only after structural and coordinate checks pass.
Quality and limits
A session supports up to 60 pages and 50 MB. High-resolution rendering is memory intensive, so pages are processed sequentially with cancellation and retry. Faint, blurred, rotated, decorative, or complex multi-column pages may produce low confidence. Use a clearer source near 300 DPI when possible.
Printed documents only
This tool does not claim cursive or general handwriting recognition. For unusually clear separated English handprint, use the separately scoped English Handprint OCR Beta. Unsupported handwriting remains an image in this tool.
Continue your workflow
Related tools
These available PdfEditorOnlineFree tools are connected to ocr / searchable pdf by the tool catalog.