Skip to content
Latte
Latte Scanner · free

How to edit a scanned PDF offline

To edit a scanned PDF offline, use an editor that reads the words in the scan on your own computer and then redraws them. In Latte PDF, open the scan and choose Edit Text (⌘E): the page is read with the text recognition built into macOS, and each line becomes a block you can click and retype. The new words are drawn to match the scan, the old ones are removed from the picture, and Save As writes a new PDF. Nothing is uploaded, and it works with no internet connection.

Updated October 2026. The steps match the current Latte PDF for Mac.

Edit a scan, step by step

  1. Open the scan

    Drop the PDF on the Latte PDF window, or choose File › Open… (⌘O). A photo or a scanned picture opens too: Open makes it into a PDF.

  2. Turn on Edit Text

    Choose Edit › Edit Text (⌘E). A scanned page takes a few seconds while its words are read on your computer; then every line has a thin outline.

  3. Click a line and retype it

    Click a block, click into its text and type. The page updates as you type; press Esc when you are done.

  4. Match the look of the scan

    In the side panel, pick the font and size closest to the scan, then Use for all scanned text to give every block on the page the same one. Texture, thickness, lightness and blur make the new words look printed and scanned like the rest.

  5. Clean up marks

    Choose Edit › Erase Area (⇧⌘E) and drag over a smudge, a stamp or a stray mark to clear it.

  6. Save a new copy

    Check the page with View › Preview (⇧⌘P), then choose File › Save As… (⇧⌘S). The original scan is never changed.

Latte PDF will be free to try: everything above works without a licence except saving.

Make the scan searchable as well

Turn on File › Make Searchable and Save As puts the words read from each scanned page into the copy, invisibly, so the copy can be searched, selected and copied. File › Export Text… writes what every page says to a text file instead.

Why offline matters for scans

Scans are often the most private papers people have: passports and IDs, bank statements, medical letters, signed contracts. An online editor needs the file uploaded first, and their own pages say how long they keep it, such as an hour or a day. Latte PDF reads and edits the scan on your computer, so the file stays in your hands.

If a line won't edit

  • Slanted text can't be edited; the panel shows its words greyed out. Straighten the scan and open it again.
  • A faint or blurred scan may read poorly. A sharper scan reads better.
  • A word read wrongly is just text: retype it like any other.

Questions

Is the old text really gone?

Yes. When you change a line on a scan, Latte PDF rebuilds that part of the picture in the saved copy, so the old words aren't hidden underneath; they are gone from the file.

Does it need an internet connection?

No for reading and editing: the text recognition is part of macOS and runs on your computer. The app goes online only when you click a button for it, such as Activate or Check for updates.

Can I edit a photo of a document?

Yes. Open the photo with File › Open… and it becomes a PDF page you can edit the same way.