How to Make a PDF Searchable with PDF.co and Zapier

Prepare the Google Drive Folders

Create two folders in Google Drive. For example:

• PDFs to Process
• Searchable PDFs

Upload a scanned PDF to the input folder. Choose a document whose text cannot currently be found using your PDF reader’s search function.

This sample file will be used when testing the Zap.

Create the Zap

Sign in to Zapier and create a new Zap.

Give the Zap a descriptive name, such as:

Make New Google Drive PDFs Searchable

Configure the Google Drive Trigger

Select Google Drive as the trigger application.

Choose New File in Folder as the trigger event.

Connect your Google Drive account and configure the trigger:

• Drive: Select the drive containing the input folder.
• Folder: Select the folder containing PDFs to process.
• Include Deleted Files: Select No.
• Include Subfolders: Enable this only if files in subfolders should also be processed.

Test the trigger. Zapier should retrieve the sample PDF and display its file information.

Make sure the test data includes a downloadable file or file URL. A Google Drive browser-preview link may not be suitable for processing.

Optional: Filter Out Non-PDF Files

If the input folder might contain other types of files, add a Zapier Filter after the trigger.

Configure the filter to continue only when the file’s MIME type is:

application/pdf

Add the PDF.co Action

Add an action and select PDF.co.

Choose Make PDF Searchable as the action event.

When prompted to connect an account, select Add a new account, sign in to PDF.co, and authorize Zapier to access your PDF.co account.

Configure the action:

• Source File URL: Map the downloadable file or file URL returned by Google Drive.
• OCR Language: Select the primary language used in the document.
• Pages: Leave this empty to process every page, or enter a zero-based page range.
• Output Filename: Enter a filename for the searchable PDF.
• Password: Enter the source PDF’s password if it is protected.

The exact labels may vary slightly as Zapier updates its editor, but the source file and OCR language are the principal settings.

Selecting an OCR Language

Choose the language that most closely matches the document’s text. For example:

• English: eng
• Spanish: spa
• German: deu
• French: fra

PDF.co can also process documents containing two languages by combining their language codes. For example:

eng+deu

Choosing the correct language improves OCR accuracy.

Selecting Pages

PDF.co uses zero-based page numbering:

• 0 processes the first page.
• 0- processes the first page through the end.
• 1-3 processes the second through fourth pages.
• 0,2,4 processes the first, third, and fifth pages.

Leave the field empty when all pages should be processed.

For additional parameters and OCR options, see the PDF.co Make Text Searchable API documentation.

Test the PDF.co Action

Test the action.

PDF.co will apply OCR to the source document and return a temporary URL for the searchable PDF.

Open the result and verify that:

• The PDF retains its original visual appearance.
• Text can be selected.
• A known word can be found using the PDF reader’s search feature.
• The correct pages were processed.
• The recognized text corresponds to the visible text.

If recognition is inaccurate, confirm that the correct OCR language was selected and that the source scan is sufficiently clear.

PDF.co result URLs use temporary storage, so continue to the storage step rather than treating the returned URL as permanent.

Upload the Searchable PDF to Google Drive

Add another action and select Google Drive.

Choose Upload File as the action event.

Configure the upload:

• Drive: Select the destination drive.
• Folder: Select the Searchable PDFs folder.
• File: Map the output URL returned by PDF.co.
• Convert to Document: Select False so the result remains a PDF.
• File Name: Enter a descriptive output filename.

You can create the filename dynamically using the original filename. For example:

searchable-{{Original File Name}}

Make sure the generated filename ends with .pdf.

Test the Google Drive Upload

Test the Google Drive action.

Open the destination folder and confirm that the searchable PDF was uploaded successfully.

Download or open the file and search for a word that appears in the document. You can normally open the search interface with:

• Ctrl+F on Windows
• Command+F on macOS

Enter a clearly visible word from the scanned page. The PDF reader should locate the corresponding text.

Publish the Zap

Once all steps have tested successfully, publish the Zap.

Upload another scanned PDF to the input folder. Zapier should detect the new file, send it to PDF.co for OCR, and store the searchable result in the destination folder.

Troubleshooting

PDF.co Cannot Access the Google Drive File

Map Google Drive’s downloadable file value or direct file content into the PDF.co source field. Do not use a link that opens only a Google Drive preview page.

If the trigger does not provide suitable file data, add a Google Drive download action before the PDF.co step.

The Output Is Still Not Searchable

Confirm that the PDF.co test completed successfully and that you opened the processed output rather than the original file.

Also check that the selected OCR language matches the document.

OCR Results Contain Incorrect Characters

Recognition accuracy depends on the quality of the source document. Common causes of errors include:

• Low-resolution scans
• Blurred text
• Crooked pages
• Handwritten content
• Decorative fonts
• Low contrast
• Text obscured by marks or shadows

Improving the source image and selecting the correct OCR language can produce better results.

Only Some Pages Were Processed

Review the Pages setting. Leave it empty or use 0- to process the entire document.

The Zap Runs Repeatedly

Make sure the input and output folders are different. Saving the output into the monitored input folder can cause each generated PDF to trigger another Zap run.

The Output Link Has Expired

The URL returned by PDF.co is temporary. Test the PDF.co action again to create a new URL, or allow the Google Drive upload step to save the result during the same Zap run.

The Source PDF Is Password-Protected

Enter the document’s password in the PDF.co action. PDF.co cannot process an encrypted document without the correct password.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Is My PDF Not Searchable?

The PDF may contain scanned page images rather than machine-readable text. A PDF reader displays the image, but it has no text layer to search.

Can PDF.co Make a Scanned PDF Searchable?

Yes. PDF.co applies OCR and adds an invisible searchable text layer while retaining the scanned page as the visible document.

Does OCR Change the Appearance of the PDF?

The searchable-PDF process is designed to preserve the visible scanned pages. The recognized text is added as an invisible layer aligned with the page content.

Can I Copy Text from the Result?

Usually, yes. OCR-generated text can generally be selected and copied, although its accuracy depends on the clarity of the scan and the selected language.

Can I Process Only Certain Pages?

Yes. Enter the required zero-based page numbers or ranges in the Pages field.

Can I Use Another Storage Service?

Yes. Google Drive can be replaced with another Zapier-supported source or destination, such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or Amazon S3. The source step must provide PDF.co with accessible file data or a downloadable URL.