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What we collect

Free · no sign-upFiles stay localReview before saving

Make a scanned PDF searchable

Give a scan words you can find and copy. Check the doubtful ones against the page before you save.

✓ Read every page on your device✓ Correct any recognised word✓ Keep the original page appearance

Read the scan, check the words, save the PDF.

Searchable PDFRead a scan. Check the words. Keep the pages.

Give a scanned PDF its words back.

Make the text searchable without changing how your pages look.

or drop one here · up to 40 MB

Nothing is uploaded. No account needed.

From scan to searchable PDF

  1. Open a scanned PDF

    Choose an unlocked PDF, or try the sample. Pick the language printed on its pages.

  2. Read and check

    Read its pages in your browser. Select highlighted words to compare them with the scan and make corrections.

  3. Save a searchable copy

    Download a new PDF with text you can search and copy. Your original file stays untouched.

Using the searchable PDF tool

Start with a PDF made from scanned pages. The tool reads the pictures and adds text behind them.

Choose the file and language

Choose a PDF opens a file from your device. Try a sample scan shows the full flow without your document.

ControlWhat it does
Text languageChoose English, French, German, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese. Use the language printed on the scan.
Also read pages that already have textBy default, pages with selectable text are kept as they are. Turn this on only when they need another OCR pass.
Read this PDFReads each page locally. The progress line shows which page is being processed.
Stop readingStops after the current page. You can start again with the same PDF.
Start againClears the file, page previews and corrections from the tool.

Review the words against the page

Original page stays beside Recognised text. Highlighted words received a confidence score below 90 from the OCR engine.

That threshold came from floi's image OCR tests. It flags words to inspect, but it is not a measured error rate for your PDF.

ControlWhat it does
Previous page / Next pageMoves through the PDF. A page already containing text is labelled as skipped.
Word on the page or in Recognised textSelects that word for correction. Every recognised word is selectable, including ones that were not highlighted.
Correct selected word / SaveChanges the searchable word. The scanned picture itself is not edited.
CancelCloses the correction field without changing the selected word.

Download the result

Download PDF appends an invisible text layer. It keeps the source file's original bytes and adds new PDF objects after them.

The downloaded file can be larger because it carries the extra words. Open it in a reader and try search or copy on a phrase you checked.

Keyboard access

Every word can be reached with the keyboard. There are no other custom shortcuts.

KeyWhat it does
TabMoves through the page controls and recognised words.
EnterSelects a focused word or saves a correction.
EscapeCloses the correction field without saving.

What it will not do

This tool recognises printed Western European text. It does not translate, rewrite, or repair the visible page.

  • One unlocked PDF at a time, up to 40 MB and 100 pages. Your device may run out of memory sooner.
  • Digitally signed PDFs are refused because adding text would invalidate the signature.
  • It does not make a PDF/A archive, a fully accessible PDF, or an editable Word document.
  • Handwriting, unusual fonts and weak scans may be missed or misread. Check important text against the page.
  • Characters outside the PDF layer's Western European font are refused at export rather than dropped.

For an image rather than a PDF, use Image to Text. It offers more controls for a difficult single picture.

Frequently asked questions

Will the PDF look different after OCR?

The tool appends an invisible text layer to the original PDF. It does not redraw its existing page images. Check the downloaded copy in your PDF reader before relying on it.

Does my scanned PDF get uploaded?

No. The PDF is read and processed in your browser. Its pages and recognised words are not sent to floi or saved to your account.

Can I correct a word before saving?

Yes. Choose any word in the text or on the page preview, enter the correction, and press Save. The correction goes into the searchable text layer. It does not change the printed image.

Why was a page skipped?

Pages with existing selectable text are left alone by default. Turn on “Also read pages that already have text” before reading if a page needs OCR as well. This can create duplicate searchable words.

Can this read handwriting or make a PDF accessible?

Handwriting and poor scans can produce wrong or missing words. A searchable layer alone does not make a PDF fully accessible. It does not add reading order, headings or descriptions of images.

Full guideWhat is a searchable PDF?See what searchable text means, test your PDF, and find out why a scan may still resist search.Read the guide
Image to TextRead one photograph or screenshot and inspect uncertain words.Why OCR gets words wrongSee floi's measured image corpus and the scans that challenged it.Split PDFBreak a large scan into smaller files before reading it.PDF to ImagesSave pages as PNG or JPG when you need pictures instead.

Something missing? Request a feature

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