Searchable PDF

What this tool does

A scanned PDF is just a set of page pictures. You can look at it, but you cannot search it or copy words from it. This tool fixes that. It reads the words in each scanned page and saves them in the PDF as a hidden text layer.

The pages look exactly the same afterwards. The new text sits under the picture where you cannot see it. Your PDF viewer can now find words, highlight them and copy them.

The reader works in English only. Pages that already contain selectable text are left alone.

How to use it

1. Select Select a PDF, or drop your scanned PDF on the page.
2. Wait while the tool works. The screen shows the percentage done and which page it is on. The first run also loads the text reader, so it may start slowly.
3. To stop, select Cancel. You return to the first screen and nothing is saved.
4. When you see "Searchable PDF Created", select Download Searchable PDF.
5. The new file has the same name with _searchable added at the end. Your original file is not changed.
6. Select Process Another to start with a new file.
7. Open the new file in a PDF viewer and use its search box to check that the words are found.

Privacy

The reading and the saving happen in your browser. Your scan stays with you and is not sent to DocsBee. The server may keep an ordinary visit log, for example your IP address, but it never receives your document.

Tips

• Clear scans give better results. Straight pages, dark text and a plain white background help the reader a lot.
• Only English is read. Words in other languages may come out wrong or be missed, so searching them may not work.
• The hidden text is a guide, not a perfect copy. Check the words you need, such as names and numbers, before you rely on the search.
• Large scans take a long time because every page is read one at a time. Keep this tab open while it works.

If you only want the words as a plain text file, use PDF OCR instead. To look for a word inside a PDF without making a new file, use Search PDF.

Frequently asked questions