Private browser PDF editing

Make scanned PDFs searchable.

Convert scanned and image-based documents into searchable PDFs with private, browser-local OCR and no account.

How to make a scanned PDF searchable

1. Choose a scanned or image-based PDF.
2. Review the document and select the pages to process.
3. Run private OCR locally in your browser.
4. Download the searchable PDF or extracted text.

Private browser OCR

PDFMech recognizes printed text and creates the new searchable PDF on your device. Your source document and recognized text are not uploaded to an OCR server.

Preserves the scanned page

The original page appearance remains visible while PDFMech adds an invisible text layer for search, selection, and copying.

Make scanned PDFs searchable FAQ

Is my scanned PDF uploaded?

No. PDFMech renders pages, recognizes printed text, and creates the searchable PDF locally in your browser.

What does OCR add to my PDF?

OCR adds an invisible text layer above the original scanned page so supported text can be searched, selected, and copied while the page appearance stays intact.

Does PDFMech OCR handwriting?

The current tool is optimized for clear English printed text. Handwriting, unusual fonts, low-resolution scans, and complex layouts may be recognized less accurately.

Will OCR replace my original PDF?

No. PDFMech creates a separate searchable PDF and plain-text download. Your original file remains unchanged on your device.