Make a PDF searchable,free and online
A scanned PDF is just pictures of pages: Ctrl+F finds nothing and you can't copy a word. Drop it below and get the same PDF back with an invisible text layer, so search, select and copy work. The file never leaves your computer.
Searchable PDF maker
Opening the PDF…
Done
Need the tables in Excel? Convert PDF to Excel works on the searchable file too.
That didn't work
Nothing is uploaded: the text is recognized and the PDF is built on your own computer.
How to make a scanned PDF searchable
Pick the language
Choose the language the document is written in, so the words are read correctly.
Drop the PDF
Scanned contracts, receipts, old books, faxes. Each scanned page is read in your browser; pages with text are skipped.
Search and copy
The new PDF looks the same, but Ctrl+F finds words and you can select and copy text in any PDF viewer.
Questions
How do I make a PDF searchable?
Drop the scanned PDF into the tool at the top of this page and pick the language of the text. Each scanned page is read, and an invisible text layer is added under the image. Download the new PDF, open it and press Ctrl+F: the words are found and can be selected and copied.
Will my PDF look different?
No. The pages stay exactly as they were, with the same images and size; only invisible text is added on top. Pages that already had text are left untouched.
Which languages are supported?
English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Indonesian. Pick the language of the document before you drop it.
Is there a page limit?
Up to 50 pages and 100 MB per file. Each scanned page takes a few seconds on a computer, a bit longer on a phone. Larger documents can be split first.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The text is recognized and the new PDF is built in your browser, on your own device. Only the text reader itself is downloaded once.
Why are some words found wrong?
Recognition is best on flat, sharp scans at 200-300 DPI. Phone photos of documents, crumpled pages, stamps and handwriting are read with mistakes, so search may miss some words. Rescan straight and in good light for the best result.
Can I get the text out instead?
Yes: open the searchable PDF and copy the text, or for an image of a page use our image to text converter. To get tables into Excel, our PDF to Excel converter reads PDFs with text.
Only need the text from a picture? Image to text. A PDF that already has text? PDF to TXT.