These tools are free with limited features but are more affordable than costly PDF software you may only use once or twice. You can simply upload your file, press a button or two, and download the searchable document.
Is My PDF Searchable?
One of the easiest ways to see if your PDF is searchable is to look for particular text that you know exists in the document. Depending on the PDF tool or platform you’re using, you may have a few ways to search for text. Here are some examples:
Adobe Acrobat Reader on Windows or Mac: Select Edit > Find from the menu. PDFelement on Windows: Select the Search icon on the left. Preview on Mac: Select Edit > Find from the menu bar and choose Find. Keyboard shortcuts: On Windows, press Ctrl + F, or on Mac, press Command + F.
When the search box opens, type your text and press Enter, Return, or the search button. If you see a message that the text could not be found, and you know it should be, your PDF document is not searchable. Once you confirm that you’re unable to search the document, check out one of these online file converters. You can quickly and easily make searchable PDF files using OCR technology.
PDF2Go
You can visit the PDF2Go tool for creating searchable PDFs directly or select All Tools > Make PDF Searchable from the drop-down menu at the top. Note that there is a 100 MB size limit for free conversions with PDF2Go.
Online2PDF
Another good option for creating a searchable PDF is Online2PDF. Go directly to the PDF converter, or be sure to select Searchable PDF as the output on the main converter page (shown below). Note that there is a 100 MB size limit for free conversions with Online2PDF.
Free PDF Online
With Free PDF Online, you can make a searchable PDF easily. Go directly to the converter or select OCR PDF to open it from the main page. Note that there is a 5 MB size limit for free conversions with Free PDF Online.
SandwichPDF
One final free tool to check out is SandwichPDF which specifically creates PDFs that are searchable. Note that there is a 10 MB size limit for free conversions with SandwichPDF.
Search Your PDF
After using one of the above file converters, open the file with your PDF reader and search for some text using the instructions at the beginning of this how-to. Your reader should now recognize text, making it a searchable PDF document. In addition, you should be able to select the text so that you can copy and paste it elsewhere. For related articles, look at PDF editor add-ons for Chrome or the best PDF writers and printers.
