How to make a scanned PDF searchable
- Add your files. Drop a scanned PDF on the box, or press Select files. Photos of pages (JPG, PNG or WebP) work too.
- Pick the language of the text. English is ready at once. Spanish, French, German and Portuguese download the first time you pick them (about 1 MB each).
- Decide what to do with pages that already have text. By default they are left as they are and only scanned pages are read.
- Press Make searchable. Each page is read in turn, and the bar shows which page is being read. You can press Cancel at any time.
- Download the new PDF. Open it and press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac) to search, or select text to copy it.
What OCR does to your file
OCR (optical character recognition) looks at the picture of each page and works out which letters and words are on it. This tool then adds those words to the page as invisible text, placed exactly over the words in the scan.
Your pages don't change. The scan stays the same picture at the same quality, so the PDF looks exactly as before. The only difference is that your PDF reader can now find words, highlight them, and copy them. In our tests the hidden text sat within about half a point of the printed words, so when you select a line, the right line lights up.
After the run you see how many words were found and an average confidence score. Open Show the text that was found to check it before you rely on it.
How good is the result?
OCR accuracy depends on the scan. On a clean, straight scan at 300 DPI, our tests read every word correctly. Quality drops with:
- Low resolution. Scans under 200 DPI, or small text in a phone photo, give more mistakes.
- Blur, shadows and creases. A sharp, evenly lit page reads best. Our Scan to PDF tool can clean up phone photos first.
- Pages that are sideways or upside down. The text must be the right way up. Turn them with Rotate PDF first.
- Handwriting, unusual fonts and tables with tiny print. Printed text works far better than handwriting.
If a page scores below 60% confidence, the tool tells you which page, so you know where to look.
Private and quick
The text reader runs inside your browser, on your own device. Your PDF is never uploaded, so it is safe to use for contracts, medical letters and bank statements. The first run downloads the reader once (about 5 MB) from this site, and your browser keeps it for next time. In our test, a 10-page scan at 300 DPI took about 10 seconds on a computer. A phone takes longer, as it reads one page at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Will OCR change how my PDF looks?
No. The scan stays exactly as it was. The text is added as an invisible layer on top, which is how most scanners make searchable PDFs.
Can I OCR a PDF that already has some text?
Yes. Pages with text are skipped by default. If a page mixes typed text with a scanned part, choose Read them too so the scanned part is read as well.
Which languages are supported?
English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese. Pick the main language of the document for the best result.
Why does my file have mistakes in the text?
The text reader can only read what it can see. A blurry, dark or low-resolution scan gives more mistakes. Scan again at 300 DPI if you can.
How do I get just the text out?
Make the PDF searchable here, then use PDF to Text to save the text as a .txt or Markdown file.
This tool works in your browser: your files are processed on your device and are never uploaded. Check the result before you share it or delete the original.