Searchable PDF

Add a selectable text layer to scanned PDFs.

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Make a PDF searchable by adding an invisible OCR text layer over your scanned pages. A scanned document is really just a stack of images, so you cannot find, select, or copy a single word in it. OCR.chat reads the text and lays it precisely over the original scan, turning a flat image into a PDF you can search and select in any reader.

This is the tool for archiving and document management, where being able to find a contract by a clause or a phrase across thousands of pages is the whole point. It is essential for legal discovery, records retention, and digitizing filing cabinets, and it keeps your pages looking exactly as scanned because the text layer is invisible and the original image is untouched.

OCR.chat is free to try with no signup. Searchable PDF runs on the fast tier for printed documents in over 100 languages, so a multi-page scan is processed quickly and downloaded as a standard PDF that works in Acrobat, Preview, your browser, and any other viewer, with full-text search and copy-paste built in.

How to searchable pdf

1
Upload your scanned PDF
Drop in a scanned PDF or an image of a page that you want to make searchable.
2
Run the OCR
OCR.chat reads every page and positions the recognized words exactly where they appear on the scan.
3
Get an invisible text layer
The recognized text is added as an invisible layer over the original image, so the page looks identical but is now searchable.
4
Download the searchable PDF
Save a standard PDF you can search, select, and copy from in Acrobat, Preview, your browser, or any reader.

Common uses

  • Archive scanned contracts, records, and correspondence so you can find any document by its contents.
  • Prepare scanned exhibits and case files for legal discovery and full-text review.
  • Digitize a filing cabinet of paper documents into a searchable, future-proof PDF library.
  • Make scanned books, manuals, and reference material searchable for research and citation.
  • Add searchable text to scanned forms and applications so staff can locate entries fast.
  • Build a searchable knowledge base from scanned invoices, statements, and receipts for audits.

Frequently asked questions

OCR.chat reads the text on each scanned page and adds it as an invisible layer aligned over the original image. The page looks exactly the same, but the hidden text lets any PDF reader find, select, and copy words from it.

No. The original scanned image is preserved untouched and the OCR text sits invisibly on top, so the document looks identical to what you uploaded while becoming fully searchable.

Any standard reader. The output is an ordinary PDF, so search, selection, and copy-paste work in Adobe Acrobat, Apple Preview, your web browser, and other common viewers.

Yes. Every page in the PDF is processed and the text layer is added throughout, so search works across the whole document, not just the first page.

The fast tier is well suited to printed scans and produces a reliable text layer for search. Because the text is invisible, an occasional misread does not change how the page looks, and you can review the recognized text side by side before downloading.

The searchable text layer supports over 100 languages, including CJK, Arabic, Cyrillic, and Indic scripts. You can upload scanned PDFs as well as PNG, JPG, and TIFF images, and foreign text is transcribed as written, never translated.

Only slightly. The invisible text layer is lightweight compared to the page images, so a searchable PDF is usually close in size to the original scan rather than ballooning. The visible image data is kept as is.

Yes, though a flat, evenly lit, straight-on capture reads best. A clear phone photo of a printed page works well; heavy shadows, glare, or a steep angle can lower accuracy, so flatten the page and avoid skew where you can.

Clean printed scans give the most reliable text layer. Faded, skewed, or noisy pages still get searchable text, but with more chance of a misread. Since the text is invisible, a stray error never changes how the page looks, and you can review the recognized text before downloading.

Single files run quickly, and longer or multi-file jobs process in the background. Free use includes a monthly page allowance; paid plans from $5/mo add more pages (credits count as pages) and batch processing so you can make a whole archive searchable at once.

Yes. A REST API is available on paid plans, so you can send scanned PDFs and receive searchable PDFs back from your own document workflow without uploading each one by hand.

You can try it free with no signup, and a free account includes a monthly page allowance, with paid plans from $5/mo for more pages, batch processing, and API access. Files are processed for OCR only, deleted automatically, and never sold or shared.

Use this via the API

Run this tool programmatically with a single POST. Authenticate with the API token from your account page.

curl -X POST https://ocr.chat/api/v1/ocr/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -F "file=@your-file.pdf" \
  -F "tool=searchable-pdf"

Files of 5 pages or fewer return the result inline; otherwise poll the job, then download it as pdf:

curl -L "https://ocr.chat/api/v1/ocr/JOB_UUID/download/?format=pdf" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" -o result.pdf
Read the API docs →

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