OCR a PDF online — free and private

Recognise text in a scanned or image-only PDF so you can select, copy and edit it — processed entirely in your browser.

Open the PDF editorBrowse all tools
  • 100% in your browser
  • No upload
  • Free — no sign-up
  • No watermark

How to OCR a PDF online

A scanned PDF is just a picture of text — you can’t select or edit it. EditMyStuff runs OCR (optical character recognition) directly in your browser to detect the words on the page, so you can select, copy and edit them like a normal document. Recognition happens inside the PDF editor, so you can correct a misread word before you download. Each line you click to edit is saved as real text in the new PDF; lines you leave alone stay part of the scanned image. Because the recognition runs on your device, even sensitive scans stay private: nothing is uploaded.

How to run OCR on a PDF

Turn a scan into editable text without any upload:

  1. Open your scanned PDF in the editor — it loads on your device.
  2. Click Run OCR in the notice at the top of the editor — recognition runs in your browser and shows its progress page by page.
  3. Click a recognised line to edit it — fix a misread word or change the text.
  4. Download — save the PDF with your edits, with no watermark and no sign-up.

Why OCR PDFs here

  • On-device OCR. Recognition happens in your browser, so scanned documents are never sent to a server.
  • Edit scanned text. Fix a typo or update a line in a scan without retyping the whole page.
  • No installs. No desktop OCR software or plugins — it runs in any modern browser.
  • Free. No account, no credits and no watermark on what you export.

Frequently asked questions

Is OCR free here?

Yes. Text recognition runs in your browser for free, with no account and no per-page credits.

Is my scan uploaded for OCR?

No. OCR runs on your own device, so the document is never sent anywhere — ideal for sensitive scans.

Does OCR download anything?

Yes, once: the first time you run OCR, your browser downloads the recognition engine and its English model. Your PDF is not sent anywhere.

What languages does it recognise?

English. The recognition model is English, so other languages and scripts are not recognised reliably. Clean, printed text works best; handwriting and low-resolution scans are harder.

Can I edit the recognised text?

Yes. Once text is recognised you can select and edit it like normal PDF text, then export.

Will the downloaded PDF be searchable?

Only the lines you click to edit. Each of those is saved as real text that a PDF reader can search; lines you leave alone stay part of the scanned image.

Will OCR be perfect?

OCR accuracy depends on the scan quality — clean, high-resolution scans recognise best. You can always fix any stray characters before exporting.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes, though recognising many pages is faster on a laptop or desktop.

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Helpful guides

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