Make PDF searchable

Upload a scanned PDF and download a searchable PDF with an OCR text layer. The visible pages stay intact while text selection and search become available.

OCRmyPDF Tesseract OCR No paid APIs Up to 1 GB
Ready

Contracts and forms

Make scanned agreements, application forms, and signed paperwork searchable without changing the visible pages.

Receipts and invoices

Add OCR text to paper receipts, vendor invoices, and finance records before archiving or sharing.

School and research documents

Turn scanned handouts, notes, articles, and reports into PDFs where text search works.

How it works

1

Upload a scanned or image-based PDF.

2

Choose the OCR language that matches most of the document text.

3

Convertr adds a hidden text layer with OCRmyPDF and Tesseract.

4

Download a searchable PDF that supports text selection and search.

PDF and OCR tools

OCR Tool Extract plain text from scanned images and PDFs. PDF to Word Convert selectable PDFs into editable DOCX documents. PDF to Excel Export selectable PDF tables into XLSX workbooks. Extract Tables from PDF Download CSV or TSV from selectable PDF tables. PDF Compressor Shrink PDFs before email, upload, or archiving. Unlock PDF Remove a known open password from your own PDF. Extract Images from PDF Save embedded PDF images as a ZIP archive. Document Converter Convert PDF, DOCX, EPUB, and other document formats.

Searchable PDF FAQ

Is this searchable PDF creator free?

Yes. Convertr makes PDFs searchable for free, with no account, no watermark, and no paid OCR API.

What does a searchable PDF mean?

A searchable PDF keeps the original page appearance and adds an OCR text layer so text can be selected, searched, copied, and indexed by compatible PDF apps.

What is the maximum PDF size?

You can upload PDF files up to 1 GB, the same intended limit as other Convertr tools.

Does this work on PDFs that already have text?

Yes. OCRmyPDF skips pages that already contain text and adds OCR to image-only pages where possible.

Are document contents logged?

No. Analytics use only file-size buckets, page-count buckets, selected OCR language, and failure reason. Convertr does not log filenames, document text, or page images.

Does Convertr support encrypted PDFs?

Unlock the PDF first if you know the open password and are authorized to modify it. OCR cannot read encrypted PDFs without access.