Search old scans
Add an invisible text layer to image-only pages so names, references, and phrases can be found.
On-device text recognition
Offline PDF OCR for Mac, directly from Finder
Turn a scanned PDF into a searchable copy using Apple’s on-device Vision recognition. The document never needs to leave your Mac.
Version 1.2 · Requires macOS 14 or later. · No subscription · Files stay on your Mac
Right where the files are.Select your files and choose an action. Processing stays on your Mac.
How it works
Three steps in Finder
- 1
Select the scanned PDF
Choose an unlocked document in Finder.
- 2
Choose Make Searchable
Right-click, open NeatClick, and run the OCR action.
- 3
Search and copy text
Open the new searchable PDF in Preview, Finder, or your document system.
Why NeatClick
What makes the job easier
Keep documents private
Recognition is performed on-device rather than by a remote OCR service.
Make scans searchable
Run OCR without opening a full PDF editor or configuring an export preset.
Extract when needed
NeatClick can also copy extracted text or save PDF text as a UTF-8 file.
What is included
Useful details before you buy
- On-device recognition using Apple Vision
- Creates a new searchable PDF
- Works with unlocked documents up to 500 pages
- Also extracts text from pages that lack an embedded text layer
Questions
Frequently asked
Can Preview make every scanned PDF searchable?
Preview can search PDFs that already contain recognized text, but an image-only scan needs an OCR text layer first. NeatClick creates that searchable copy.
Does offline OCR need an account?
No. NeatClick runs recognition on the Mac and does not require a cloud account.
Can I copy the recognized text?
Yes. Use Copy Text to copy it to the clipboard, Save PDF Text for a text file, or Make Searchable for a PDF you can search later.
Keep working
More things you can do on Mac
One right-click. A whole Mac toolkit.
More than 80 local file actions. One purchase for two Macs.