How is this different from other online PDF tools?

Most online PDF tools send your files to a remote server for processing. This tool processes everything locally in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your files are never transmitted to any server, which means your document content stays entirely under your control.

Are my PDF files uploaded?

No. Your files are read directly by your browser. Your files are never transmitted over the network. The tool works entirely within the browser tab you have open.

Can I verify that files are not uploaded?

Yes. Open your browser's developer tools (F12), go to the Network tab, and watch for any outgoing requests while using the tool. You will see no file data leave your browser. The site may record an anonymous page-view count, which never includes your files and can be disabled.

Does this tool work offline?

Yes, once the page has loaded the tool processes your files entirely in your browser; tool functionality needs no network connection. You can disconnect from the internet and continue using it.

What happens when I refresh the page?

Because nothing is stored on a server, refreshing the page clears your current session. Any files you had selected will need to be selected again.

Does this tool store my files?

No. Files are held in browser memory only for as long as the page is open. Closing or refreshing the page discards them. Nothing is written to disk by the tool, and nothing is sent to a server.

Can this tool unlock password-protected PDFs?

No. This tool does not attempt to remove or bypass PDF password protection. If you know the password, the Unlock PDF tool on this site can remove it locally; then this tool can process the file.

What technologies does this tool use?

This tool uses pdf.js to render pages and the Tesseract OCR engine compiled to WebAssembly (tesseract.js) running in a same-origin Web Worker — your files never leave your browser.

Does this tool use WebAssembly?

Yes — this is one of the few tools here that does. The Tesseract OCR engine is C++ compiled to WebAssembly and runs inside your browser; the .wasm binary is served from this site and nothing is sent anywhere.

Why is the first run slower than the following ones?

On first use your browser downloads the OCR engine and language model from this site (a few megabytes) and compiles them. They are cached afterwards, so later runs start much faster.

How do I OCR a scanned PDF here?

Choose a scanned PDF from your device, pick the document language (English or Traditional Chinese), then select Recognise. Each page is rendered and read locally, and once finished you can preview the text and save it as a .txt file.

Why is the recognised text just a .txt file instead of a searchable PDF?

This tool outputs the recognised words as plain text rather than writing an invisible text layer back into the PDF, so your original scanned PDF stays unchanged. If you need the words inside the page, you would copy them from the saved .txt or the on-screen preview, which lists the text page by page.

Can I run two languages in the same document, and what if I pick the wrong one?

You select a single language for the whole document before recognising, so a file that mixes English and Traditional Chinese will favour whichever one you chose. Recognition quality also depends on the scan itself, so skewed, low-resolution, or handwritten pages tend to come out poorly regardless of language.

Does the OCR PDF tool cost anything to use?

The OCR PDF tool is completely free — no account, no sign-up, and no limit on how many scanned PDFs you run through it, and it always will be. Every page is recognised right inside your browser using the Tesseract OCR engine compiled to WebAssembly, so your scanned documents — whether they contain contracts, IDs, or medical records — are never sent anywhere.

OCR a Scanned PDF Privately — Recognise Text in Your Browser

Select a scanned PDF and a language; each page is rendered and recognised locally by Tesseract (compiled to WebAssembly), and the recognised text is shown and downloadable as a .txt file.

Quick answer

What it does: Select a scanned PDF and a language; each page is rendered and recognised locally by Tesseract (compiled to WebAssembly), and the recognised text is shown and downloadable as a .txt file.
Free?: Yes — 100% free, no account or sign-up.
Files uploaded?: No — everything is processed in your browser.
Works offline?: Yes — once the page has loaded.
Best for: An accountant OCRs a scanned invoice to copy line-item amounts into a spreadsheet without retyping.
Good to know: English and Traditional Chinese are supported in this version.

How it works

Select a scanned PDF from your device and pick the document language.
The file is read into browser memory — no data leaves your browser.
pdf.js renders each page to an image in a Web Worker.
Tesseract OCR — compiled to WebAssembly and served from this site — recognises the text of each page locally; the language model is also loaded from this site, not a third-party CDN.
The recognised text is shown per page and offered as a .txt download.

When to use this tool

An accountant OCRs a scanned invoice to copy line-item amounts into a spreadsheet without retyping.
A student OCRs a scanned course handout to get searchable, copyable text for their notes.
An archivist converts scanned Traditional Chinese documents into searchable text for a digital library.
OCR accuracy depends on scan quality — blurry, skewed, or low-resolution pages may produce errors; treat output as a best-effort draft.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from other online PDF tools?: Most online PDF tools send your files to a remote server for processing. This tool processes everything locally in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your files are never transmitted to any server, which means your document content stays entirely under your control.
Are my PDF files uploaded?: No. Your files are read directly by your browser. Your files are never transmitted over the network. The tool works entirely within the browser tab you have open.
Can I verify that files are not uploaded?: Yes. Open your browser's developer tools (F12), go to the Network tab, and watch for any outgoing requests while using the tool. You will see no file data leave your browser. The site may record an anonymous page-view count, which never includes your files and can be disabled.
Does this tool work offline?: Yes, once the page has loaded the tool processes your files entirely in your browser; tool functionality needs no network connection. You can disconnect from the internet and continue using it.
What happens when I refresh the page?: Because nothing is stored on a server, refreshing the page clears your current session. Any files you had selected will need to be selected again.
Does this tool store my files?: No. Files are held in browser memory only for as long as the page is open. Closing or refreshing the page discards them. Nothing is written to disk by the tool, and nothing is sent to a server.
Can this tool unlock password-protected PDFs?: No. This tool does not attempt to remove or bypass PDF password protection. If you know the password, the Unlock PDF tool on this site can remove it locally; then this tool can process the file.
What technologies does this tool use?: This tool uses pdf.js to render pages and the Tesseract OCR engine compiled to WebAssembly (tesseract.js) running in a same-origin Web Worker — your files never leave your browser.
Does this tool use WebAssembly?: Yes — this is one of the few tools here that does. The Tesseract OCR engine is C++ compiled to WebAssembly and runs inside your browser; the .wasm binary is served from this site and nothing is sent anywhere.
Why is the first run slower than the following ones?: On first use your browser downloads the OCR engine and language model from this site (a few megabytes) and compiles them. They are cached afterwards, so later runs start much faster.
How do I OCR a scanned PDF here?: Choose a scanned PDF from your device, pick the document language (English or Traditional Chinese), then select Recognise. Each page is rendered and read locally, and once finished you can preview the text and save it as a .txt file.
Why is the recognised text just a .txt file instead of a searchable PDF?: This tool outputs the recognised words as plain text rather than writing an invisible text layer back into the PDF, so your original scanned PDF stays unchanged. If you need the words inside the page, you would copy them from the saved .txt or the on-screen preview, which lists the text page by page.
Can I run two languages in the same document, and what if I pick the wrong one?: You select a single language for the whole document before recognising, so a file that mixes English and Traditional Chinese will favour whichever one you chose. Recognition quality also depends on the scan itself, so skewed, low-resolution, or handwritten pages tend to come out poorly regardless of language.
Does the OCR PDF tool cost anything to use?: The OCR PDF tool is completely free — no account, no sign-up, and no limit on how many scanned PDFs you run through it, and it always will be. Every page is recognised right inside your browser using the Tesseract OCR engine compiled to WebAssembly, so your scanned documents — whether they contain contracts, IDs, or medical records — are never sent anywhere.