Question 1

Is ClearwayPDF really free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ClearwayPDF is completely free to use with no paywalls, no watermarks, and no subscription required. It is supported by ads and optional donations.

Question 2

Do my files get uploaded to a server?

Accepted Answer

No. All PDF processing happens entirely in your browser. Your files never leave your device.

Question 3

Do I need to create an account?

Accepted Answer

No account or login is required. Just open the site and start editing.

Question 4

Can I make a scanned PDF searchable?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The OCR tab uses Tesseract to recognise text in scanned PDFs and embeds an invisible searchable text layer, all in your browser.

Question 5

What can I do with the PDF editor?

Accepted Answer

You can add text, draw, highlight, add shapes, insert images, sign documents, fill forms, reorder pages, rotate pages, add watermarks, add page numbers, split or extract pages, and more.

Question 6

Is ClearwayPDF a good alternative to Adobe Acrobat or Smallpdf?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ClearwayPDF offers most of the same features as Smallpdf, ILovePDF, and basic Adobe Acrobat functions — for free, with no uploads and no account needed.

Make PDF Searchable (OCR)