How do I make a scanned PDF searchable online for free?

Open the ClearwayPDF OCR tool, choose the document language, add your scanned PDF and click Run OCR. The tool adds an invisible searchable text layer and you download the result.

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. It reads the text in scanned images within your PDF and adds an invisible text layer, making the document searchable and selectable.

Which languages does the OCR support?

ClearwayPDF uses Tesseract OCR which supports over 100 languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and many more.

Does OCR change how the PDF looks?

No. The OCR process adds an invisible text layer on top of the existing page images. The visual appearance of the PDF does not change.

Are my files uploaded to a server for OCR?

No. OCR is powered by Tesseract.js running entirely in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.

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PDF OCR

PDF OCR Online Free — Make Scanned PDFs Searchable

Turn scanned and image-based PDFs into searchable, selectable documents. Powered by Tesseract — runs entirely in your browser. No upload, no account.

Run OCR on a PDF →

How it works

Three steps, done.

Step 1

Open the OCR tool

Go to ClearwayPDF, open the OCR PDF tool and choose the document language (English or Norwegian).

Step 2

Upload your scanned PDF

Drag your image-based or scanned PDF into the upload area.

Step 3

Download searchable PDF

Click Run OCR, wait for processing, then download your searchable PDF.

What you get

Everything included, nothing locked

100+ languages supported

Tesseract OCR recognises English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and over 100 other languages.

Invisible text layer

OCR adds a hidden text layer over your pages. The PDF looks identical — but the text is now searchable and copyable.

Works on any scanned PDF

Works on PDFs from scanners, cameras, fax machines, or any image-based source.

Fully private

Tesseract runs in your browser. Your scanned documents never leave your device.

No account needed

Start running OCR immediately without signing up or providing personal information.

Free to use

Run OCR in your browser without an account. Processing time and practical limits depend on file size, page count, and device performance.

Why ClearwayPDF

Free, private, no strings attached

No subscription or paywall
No file uploads — fully private
No watermarks on output
No account or login needed
100+ languages supported
Free to use

Try it free →

Guides

Guides for this tool

OCR PDF

How PDF OCR works

A plain-English explanation of OCR, searchable PDFs, invisible text layers, and when OCR results need manual review.

6 min readRead

Convert to PDF

How to convert a JPG or photo to PDF

Turn a photo, screenshot or scanned image into a PDF, choose the right image format, and combine several images into a single document.

5 min readRead

Compress PDF

How to reduce PDF size for an upload limit

Get a PDF under the size limit of a job portal, government form or school system, and what each compression level does to your document.

6 min readRead

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a scanned PDF searchable for free?: Open the ClearwayPDF OCR tool, choose the document language, add your scanned PDF and click Run OCR. Download the searchable result.
What is PDF OCR?: OCR (Optical Character Recognition) reads text in scanned page images and adds an invisible searchable text layer to the PDF.
Which languages does the OCR support?: ClearwayPDF uses Tesseract which supports 100+ languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese.
Does OCR change how the PDF looks?: No. The text layer is invisible — the PDF looks exactly the same, but the text is now searchable and selectable.
Are my files uploaded to a server?: No. Tesseract.js runs entirely in your browser. Your files never leave your device.