Add an OCR text layer to scanned PDFs so you can search and copy text. Runs entirely in your browser.
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Drop a scanned PDF here
or click to browse · PDF only
OCR takes ~5–15 seconds per page. The output PDF looks identical but supports Ctrl+F search.
Searchable PDF runs OCR (optical character recognition) on each page of a scanned PDF and embeds an invisible text layer. The result looks identical but you can now Ctrl+F search and copy/paste text from it.
Each page is rendered to a canvas image, then Google Tesseract OCR (running in your browser via WebAssembly) reads the text and word positions. A new PDF is built with the original page image plus an invisible text overlay — all processing happens locally.
Upload your scanned PDF
Drop a scanned or image-based PDF onto the upload zone. The file loads entirely in your browser.
Run OCR
Click "Run OCR". The tool uses Tesseract.js to recognize text in each page image and extract it.
Search the extracted text
Use the search box to find keywords across all OCR'd pages instantly. Matching results are highlighted.
Copy or export text
Copy the recognized text to your clipboard for use in other documents, or export the text layer as a plain text file.
Download searchable PDF (optional)
Generate a searchable PDF with an invisible text layer overlaid on the original scanned pages for future use.
Scanned Contracts
Make scanned legal contracts searchable so you can quickly find specific clauses or dates.
Archive Documents
Convert old scanned archives and records into searchable PDFs for faster retrieval and reference.
Research Papers
OCR scanned academic journals and research papers so you can search for citations and key terms.
Receipts & Invoices
Make scanned receipts and invoices text-searchable for expense tracking and auditing workflows.
News Clippings
Convert scanned newspaper and magazine clippings into searchable documents for media monitoring.
Form Processing
Enable text search on scanned forms and applications to extract key fields for data entry.
Tesseract OCR Engine
Powered by Tesseract — the same OCR engine used by Google — delivering high accuracy on printed text.
100% Browser-Based
OCR runs entirely in your browser via WebAssembly — your confidential documents are never uploaded to any server.
Embedded Text Layer
The output PDF looks identical to the original but has an invisible text layer for Ctrl+F search and copy-paste.
Works in Any PDF Viewer
The searchable PDF output is a standard PDF compatible with Adobe Reader, Chrome, Preview, and any viewer.
No File Size Limits
Process any size PDF locally in your browser without server-side upload restrictions.
Free to Start — Sign Up for More
Use free with no account for standard file sizes. Sign up free to raise your limit to 80 MB, or upgrade to Pro for 250 MB per file.
Also Known As
Image to Text
Extract text from JPG, PNG and other images using OCR technology.
Scan to Text
Take a photo of any document and instantly extract the text with OCR.
Merge PDF
Combine multiple PDF files into one. Drag to set the page order you want.
Split PDF
Separate one PDF into multiple files — by page range or every page.
Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size while keeping the best possible quality.
Remove Pages
Select and delete specific pages from your PDF document.
Trusted Worldwide
iLoveDocsTools is used by students, professionals, and businesses across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, India, and more than 100 other countries. All tools are browser-based and process files privately — your files never leave your device. Free to use, with Pro plans for unlimited access.
All processing happens directly in your browser. Your documents are never sent to any server — complete privacy guaranteed for users in the USA, Canada, UK, and worldwide.
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Whether you are on a Mac, Windows PC, iPhone, or Android in New York, Toronto, London, or Sydney — our tools work instantly in any modern browser.
Looking for free PDF tools in the USA? Free document converters in Canada? Online PDF editors in the UK or Australia? iLoveDocsTools offers 70+ free tools — merge PDF, split PDF, compress PDF, convert Word to PDF, Excel to PDF, JPG to PDF, and many more — all free, all instant, all private. No watermarks. No file size limits. Just free tools that work.