OCR PDF Online — No Upload
Make scanned PDFs searchable and selectable. Files are processed locally in your browser and are not uploaded to a server.
or drop a scanned PDF here
No account needed — run OCR on as many scanned PDFs as you like, at no cost.
How to OCR a PDF in 3 steps
The recognition runs in your browser — there's no software to install and nothing to upload.
1. Select your scanned PDF
Click "Select PDF File" or drag and drop a scanned document or image-based PDF into the tool.
2. Recognize the text
The tool scans every page and detects the underlying text layer, preserving the original layout and page images.
3. Download your searchable PDF
Download a PDF you can search, select, and copy text from. Nothing is sent to a server at any point.
Why people run OCR on PDFs
A scanned PDF is really just a stack of images. You can see the words, but you can't search them, select them, or copy them into another document — the file has no actual text layer underneath.
OCR (optical character recognition) fixes that. It reads the shapes on each page, recognizes the characters, and adds an invisible, selectable text layer on top of the original scan. The page still looks the same — it just becomes usable as text.
Common examples: making an old scanned contract searchable, turning a photographed receipt into something you can copy numbers from, or converting a stack of paper records into a digital archive you can actually search through.
What to expect
The page images stay the same
OCR doesn't redraw or "clean up" your pages. The original scanned image is preserved exactly as it was — the tool only adds a hidden text layer behind it so the content becomes searchable and selectable.
Accuracy depends on scan quality
Clean, high-resolution scans with clear printed text produce the best results. Faded ink, low-resolution photos, skewed pages, or handwriting will reduce accuracy. For best results, scan at 300 DPI or higher and keep pages straight.
Works on already-digital PDFs too
If you run OCR on a PDF that already has selectable text, the tool simply leaves that layer untouched — there's no harm in running it on a file you're unsure about.
No file size limits
There's no cap on how large your scanned PDF can be or how many pages it contains. Larger files with many pages will take longer to process, since the device does the recognition work itself.
Your files stay on your device
Most online OCR tools upload your scanned documents to a remote server, run recognition there, and send back the result. That means whatever is in your scan — IDs, contracts, medical records — passes through someone else's infrastructure first.
itsmypdf works differently. Recognition runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your file is read locally, processed locally, and the searchable PDF is saved locally. The tool does not upload your file to a server. You could turn off your internet connection after the page loads and the tool would still work.
This matters most for OCR specifically, since scanned documents are often the originals of sensitive paperwork: signed agreements, financial statements, or identity documents. The browser-based model isn't a marketing claim — it's the technical architecture.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. There's no subscription, no account, and no hidden fee. You can run OCR on as many scanned PDFs as you need, as often as you need, at no cost.
No. Everything runs in your browser. Your files are never transmitted to any server, stored remotely, or accessible to anyone other than you.
No. The visible page images stay exactly as they were. OCR only adds an invisible text layer underneath, so the content becomes searchable and selectable without altering how the page looks.
Recognition works best on printed Latin-script text such as English. Results vary with other scripts and fonts, and handwriting generally isn't recognized reliably.
OCR accuracy depends heavily on scan quality. Blurry, low-resolution, skewed, or faded scans are harder to recognize correctly. A clean scan at 300 DPI or higher will give noticeably better results.
Yes. If a page already has a text layer, the tool leaves it as is. It's safe to run OCR on a file even if you're not sure whether it's already searchable.
Yes. The tool runs in any modern browser on iOS and Android. Tap the upload area to select a scanned PDF from your device.
Related tools
Useful when you want to clean up, organize, or compress a scanned PDF before or after running OCR.
Ready to make your PDF searchable?
Select your scanned file and download a searchable PDF in seconds — free, with no account needed.
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