Free Online OCR PDF
Make scanned or image-based PDFs searchable — extract text using OCR, 100% private in your browser.
OCR PDF
Upload a scanned PDF. We'll render each page as image and run OCR to extract searchable text (English by default).
How to Make Scanned PDFs Searchable with OCR Online for Free in 2026
Many scanned documents or old PDFs are just images — no selectable text. Our free OCR PDF tool uses Tesseract.js (powerful open-source OCR) to recognize text from each page, making your document searchable, copy-pasteable, and indexable.
Everything runs 100% in your browser — no files uploaded to servers, total privacy guaranteed. Ideal for invoices, books, notes, forms, or archived papers.
Key Features
- Client-Side OCR: Powered by Tesseract.js — supports 100+ languages (default: English).
- PDF Page Rendering: Uses PDF.js to convert pages to images for OCR.
- Real-time Progress: See previews and extraction status.
- 100% Private: No server processing, no data leaves your device.
- Free & Unlimited: No signup, no limits.
Common Use Cases
Digitizing old books, making receipts searchable, extracting text from contracts, turning handwritten notes into editable text, archiving scanned documents for search engines or accessibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this OCR PDF tool free?
Yes. Completely free, no registration, no limits, no watermarks.
Is my PDF private and secure?
Yes. All OCR processing happens locally in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere.
What languages are supported?
Tesseract.js supports 100+ languages. Currently set to English ('eng'). Change language in code if needed (e.g., 'fra' for French).
Can I download a searchable PDF?
Current version shows extracted text. Adding invisible text layer to original PDF (full searchable output) is advanced — coming in future updates!
Does it work with handwritten text?
It works best with printed text. Handwriting recognition is possible but accuracy varies — depends on clarity.