Searchable PDF Maker — what it does
Turns a scanned, image-only PDF into a searchable one: every page is recognised on-device and a text layer is placed at the exact word positions underneath the image, so the document looks identical but can now be searched, selected and copied.
How to use Searchable PDF Maker
- Open the image-only PDF.
- Run the tool; each page is OCR'd and an invisible text layer is positioned word by word.
- Test it: use the browser's find on a word you can see on the page — it should now be found.
- Download the searchable PDF and keep it as the master copy for filing.
Worked example: digitising a decade of paper receipts
A folder of scanned receipts is filed as image PDFs, so nothing can be searched and an auditor asking for a specific invoice number means going through them by hand. Making them searchable means Ctrl+F finds the number, and because the text sits under the original image, the receipt still looks exactly like the paper it came from.
At a glance
| Input | Image-only (scanned) PDFs |
|---|---|
| Output | The same pages with a searchable text layer positioned word by word |
| Appearance | Unchanged — the original image stays visible |
| Where it runs | On-device; nothing is uploaded |
| Requires | Recognition language selection, as with PDF & Image OCR |
Frequently asked questions
- What is Searchable PDF Maker?
- Turn a scanned (image-only) PDF into a searchable PDF — every page is OCR'd on-device and a text layer is placed at the exact word positions, so the scan looks the same but you can now select, copy and Ctrl+F the text. Nothing is uploaded.
- Is Searchable PDF Maker free to use?
- Yes — Searchable PDF Maker is free to use, with no sign-up, no install and no account.
- Does Searchable PDF Maker upload or store my data?
- No — Searchable PDF Maker runs entirely in your browser, so your text, files and results never leave your device.
- Do I need to install anything to use Searchable PDF Maker?
- No — it works in any modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) with no downloads, accounts or plugins.
- Does the text layer change how the document prints?
- No. The layer is invisible text under the page image, so print and display output are the same as before, while search and copy start working.
- Is the resulting file much bigger?
- Slightly, because a text layer is added per page. It is a small fraction of the image data on a scanned page, so the size increase is usually not noticeable.