Make a scanned PDF searchable and copyable.
Text recognition (OCR) reads the words on every scanned page and adds them as an invisible text layer. The pages look exactly the same, but you can search, select and copy the text – all in your browser.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Tables become real cells, numbers become numbers
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Each file is split the same way
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. 3, 7 — leave empty to split every page separately
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Applied to every page, or only to the pages you enter below
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
A page number on every page, bottom centre unless you choose another position
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Each file has the same pages removed
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. 2, 5-7
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
The same pages are taken from each file
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. 1, 3-5
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
The watermark is added to every page
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. CONFIDENTIAL
A PNG with a transparent background works best. Up to 10 MB.
Drop JPG or PNG images here, or click to choose
All images go into one PDF – change the order below if needed
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Every page becomes one JPG image
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
e.g. 1, 3-5 — leave empty to convert every page
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Every file gets the same password
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Remember it well: nobody can recover a forgotten password, not even us. It stays in your browser.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
The same password is tried on every file
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Leave empty for a file that opens without a password but blocks printing or copying.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Your signature goes on every file at the same place
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drag your signature to the right place
Create your signature above and it appears here.
Tip: click the signature and move it with the arrow keys (hold Shift for bigger steps).
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Several pages of your PDF on each sheet, ready to print
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Cut margins off every page, or trim the white edges
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Preview: the dashed box is what stays
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Scanned pages get an invisible, searchable text layer
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Takes a few seconds per page; a long scan can take minutes.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
See what the file says about itself, then remove it
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Leave a field empty to remove it. Dates and software names are always removed.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
The text of your PDF as a plain .txt file
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Every picture in your PDF as a separate file
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
See every page, then put them in the right order
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop 2 PDFs here (old and new), or click to choose
Text differences, word by word, page by page
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Add 2 PDFs: first the old version, then the new one.
removed text added text
Drop a PDF here, or click to choose
Draw black boxes over what must disappear
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Pages with a black box become an image: text there can no longer be selected or searched. Pages without a box stay as they are.
Draw a box over everything that must disappear
Drag with your mouse or finger to draw a box. To remove a box: click it, or reach it with the Tab key, and press Delete.
Drop one or more PDFs here, or click to choose
Form fields and comments become part of the page
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Drop a PDF here, or click to choose
Fill in its form fields or add text to a page
Guideline: up to 50 MB works well on most devices; for larger files a computer is more reliable than a phone. Check for yourself that your files aren't uploaded
Form fields
Add text: click on the page where it should go
Tip: select a box with Tab or a click and move it with the arrow keys (hold Shift for bigger steps); Delete removes it.
How to make a scanned PDF searchable
Choose your scanned PDF
Drag it into the tool or click to browse. Your file isn't uploaded: your browser reads it itself.
Pick the language
The language of this page and English are ticked; choose up to 3. Pages that already have text are skipped unless you choose All pages.
Download the searchable PDF
Every page looks exactly as before, with the recognised text invisible on top: search it with Ctrl+F, select it or copy it.
Tips for good text recognition
Straight, sharp scans work best
Scan at 300 dpi in black and white or grey and keep the pages straight. Turn sideways pages first with Rotate PDF: a page that is upside down is read as nonsense.
Choose the right languages
The language decides which letters and words are expected: with French chosen, é and ç come out right. More languages make it slower and can cause mistakes, so choose only what the document contains.
Pages with text are left alone
A page that already has selectable text is skipped, so a mixed PDF doesn’t get its text twice. Choose All pages for a page whose existing text layer is wrong.
Check the result
Recognition is never flawless: a blurry scan, small print, tables or unusual fonts cause mistakes, and handwriting usually fails. Check the result before you rely on it. The first time, the recognition engine and the languages are downloaded (about 2 to 10 MB).
Questions about OCR
How do I make a scanned PDF searchable?
Drop the PDF into the tool above, check the language and click Make searchable. The pages are recognised one after another, and the searchable PDF downloads when it’s done.
Is my scan uploaded for the text recognition?
No. The recognition engine (Tesseract) runs in your browser; it and the language data are downloaded from this site, and your files aren’t uploaded.
Does the PDF look different afterwards?
No. The original pages stay exactly as they were: the recognised text is added as an invisible layer on top, in the right place, so you can select and search it. The file gets only slightly bigger.
Which languages are supported?
English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Polish, with their accents. You can combine up to 3 languages for a document that mixes them.
Why are some words wrong?
OCR guesses each word from the image. Blurry or skewed scans, very small text, stamps, tables and handwriting cause mistakes. A clean scan at 300 dpi helps; for important documents, always check the text.
How long does it take?
A few seconds per page on a computer, longer on a phone. A 50-page scan can take several minutes; keep the tab open. You can cancel at any time.
General questions about privacy, cost and file size are answered on the homepage. Stuck? See the help page.
Important to know
Check the result before you print or share it. Full terms of use.