PDF OCR
Make scanned PDFs searchable — recognize text with OCR and add a selectable, searchable text layer.
Drop a PDF here
or click to choose a file
Text recognition
Turn flat scans into searchable text
Run free PDF OCR over an image-only document to extract text from the PDF and slot a selectable, searchable layer neatly over the original. It's the quick way to convert a scanned PDF to text and make the PDF searchable: get the text from a scanned page so it can be searched, highlighted and copied like any born-digital file — all without a server.
- Recognize text in scanned or image-only PDFs
- Adds a searchable, selectable text layer over the original
- Copy or download the recognized text
- 100% client-side — your document never leaves your device
Four steps to searchable
Recognise the words inside a scan
Lifting text out of an image-based document is a quick, on-device process from upload to result.
- 1
Open a scanned or image-only PDF.
- 2
Start recognition — the text is read right inside your browser.
- 3
A searchable, selectable layer is laid over the original, aligned to the scan.
- 4
Copy the recognised words or download the now-searchable document.
Real scenarios
When a scan needs to become text
Anywhere you're stuck with a picture of words instead of the words themselves, recognition bridges the gap.
Making an old scanned contract searchable and ready to copy from.
Pulling the text out of a photographed receipt, letter or form.
Turning a pile of scans into a searchable, indexable archive.
Stack it up
On-device OCR vs cloud recognition
See how recognising text here compares with desktop OCR software and the cloud services that need your scans uploaded first.
| Feature | InkyTools | Desktop software | Upload-based sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completely free | |||
| Files stay on your device | |||
| No sign-up or account | |||
| Nothing to install | |||
| Works on any device | |||
| No watermarks or limits |
Helpful to know
Text recognition, explained
- How do I extract text from a scanned PDF?
- Upload your scanned or image-only PDF and run OCR. InkyTools recognises the text on each page and adds a searchable, selectable text layer you can copy or download.
- Does the OCR run on a server?
- No. Optical character recognition runs entirely in your browser, so even sensitive scans never leave your device.
- Which languages are supported?
- The OCR currently recognises English text. The recognition model downloads on first use, which can take a moment.
Scans stay put
Your documents aren't sent off to be read
Recognition runs locally, so even sensitive scans — payslips, IDs, medical letters — are never uploaded. The recognition model downloads to your device the first time and works from there.
- Nothing uploaded
- Works offline
- No sign-up, any device
PDF OCR: free, private and browser-based
InkyTools runs free PDF OCR in your browser to make PDF searchable. It can extract text from PDF free, convert scanned PDF to text, and turn an image PDF to text, adding a selectable layer over the original so a scan reads like a normal document you can search and copy from.
Use this searchable PDF converter to OCR PDF online free, with no upload and no account. Recognition happens on your device, so you can get text from scanned PDF files — a private scanned PDF to text conversion of receipts, contracts, payslips and forms that never leaves your computer.