When you scan a document to PDF, the text inside is not text to a computer — it's an image made of pixels. That's why you can't search for a word or select and copy a sentence. A «searchable PDF» solves exactly this.
What is a searchable PDF?
A searchable PDF has an invisible text layer embedded right over the scanned image, aligned to each word. The document looks the same — you see the photo — but real, selectable text sits behind it. So you can search with Ctrl+F, select and copy text; archive and document systems can also search by content.
How does OCR do it?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) «reads» the text in the image and extracts each word's text and position. Those words are then placed invisibly over the image at their exact positions. The result: a document that looks untouched but is searchable inside.
Making a searchable PDF on PDF Platform
- Scan or upload the document: Use the phone document scanner, or open a scanned PDF you already have.
- Choose «Make searchable»: After creating the PDF in the scanner, use «🔍 Make searchable»; text is recognized on your device (Turkish + English).
- Save and search: Save the resulting PDF. Now you can search with Ctrl+F and copy text in any PDF viewer.
OCR runs entirely on your device — including Turkish characters (ş, ğ, ı, İ). Your document is never sent to a server for recognition. Searchable PDF output is a Pro feature.
Scanned PDF → Text (OCR) — Just want the text? Convert a scanned PDF to plain text on your device.
Where is it useful?
- Archiving: search by keyword across hundreds of scanned documents.
- Legal and accounting: instantly find an amount or clause in a contract or invoice.
- Students: search topics in photos of lecture notes.
- Accessibility: screen readers can read the document.