Free · Private · No uploads
Make searchable PDF
Turn scanned PDFs and images into PDFs you can search, select, and copy. The original page appearance stays intact.
1. Select and review pages
One PDF or multiple JPG/PNG images. Printed English. The first run downloads English OCR assets; cached assets can be reused offline.
Limits: 100 MB total, up to 200 pages or images, 20 megapixels per image, and 60 megapixels per image batch.
When local OCR is the right first step
Use Make searchable PDF above to add an invisible English text layer to scans and JPG/PNG images. The visible page stays intact, while recognized text can be searched, selected, and copied. Use Edit PDF separately when you want to rewrite visible wording.
This is a better fit for privacy-sensitive scans than an upload-first OCR workflow when the document can be handled by the browser and the source file should stay close to the device.
What OCR can and cannot promise
OCR is not the same as perfect conversion. Blurry scans, handwriting, unusual fonts, rotated pages, heavy compression, and mixed-language documents can reduce accuracy. Very large files can also hit browser memory or device limits.
Treat OCR output as a draft that needs review. If the text matters for legal, financial, medical, academic, or official use, compare the result against the original page before sharing it.
| Workflow | Best fit | Use another route when |
|---|---|---|
| OCR PDF | A scanned page needs detected text for review or local rewrite. | The PDF already has selectable text. |
| Edit PDF | Detected or existing text needs a careful local rewrite. | You only need page order, compression, or password checks. |
| PDF editability checker | You need to know whether the file is text-based, scanned, locked, or form-heavy. | You already know the file needs OCR work. |
A cautious local OCR sequence
Select one PDF or multiple JPG/PNG images, review their order, and choose the pages to recognize. Run English OCR, compare the recognized text with the scan, then save a searchable copy. Pages with usable existing text are preserved without another text layer.
Do not use OCR as a blind batch conversion step for sensitive documents. The privacy benefit comes from keeping the workflow local, but the quality check still belongs to you.
Can Private PDF Editor OCR every scanned PDF perfectly?
No. OCR quality depends on the scan, page orientation, language, file size, browser, and device performance. Always review the detected text before relying on it.
Does OCR PDF upload my file to a server?
The supported OCR/editing workflow is designed to run locally in the browser during normal use, so the scan does not need a remote document-processing upload.
Should I use OCR PDF or Edit PDF?
Use Make searchable PDF to search and copy text while preserving the scan. Use Edit PDF when you want to change visible wording.
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