Make a scanned PDF searchable
A scan is a picture of text. OCR reads it and puts the words into the page — invisible, exactly where they are — so you can search, copy, edit, redact and convert them. The page looks the same as before.
How it works
- Open the scanned PDF — or photos of pages: Scan to PDF straightens and cleans them first.
- Choose OCR and the language of the text (up to three at once).
- Make searchable. Pages that already have text are skipped unless you ask.
What you can do
- English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese
- Search, copy, Edit Text, Redact and Convert work on the page afterwards
- The text as a .txt file too
- Scan to PDF with the camera: corners found, straightened, cleaned
Questions
Does the page change?
No. The words are added as an invisible layer exactly over the printed ones; the picture of the page stays as it was.
How long does it take?
A few seconds per page. The first time, the reading engine and each language are set up on this device.
Can I then convert the scan to Word?
Yes. After OCR, Convert can make an editable Word document from the page.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Shiklo PDF works in your browser: your files are read and changed on your device and never sent to a server. A saved project stays in this browser only.
Does it cost anything or need an account?
No. Shiklo PDF is free and needs no sign-up. It works on computers and phones, and once opened it keeps working offline.