What Does It Mean to Make a PDF Look Scanned
A scanned PDF is a digital file in .pdf format, which can be created by scanning a physical document into an electronic format with a scanner or a phone camera. In other words, scanned PDFs are essentially an image-based PDFs. Therefore, you can’t copy, edit, or select the text within scanned PDFs.
Making PDF look scanned means creating a digital file without using physical printers and scanners. The process involves adding visual effects to the PDF. After the PDF turns into a scanned one, any text in the file won’t be searchable or editable.
Make PDF Look Scanned Using lookscanned.io
Look Scanned is a fronted site that helps you make PDF look like scanned. In addition to PDF, other file formats like images, DOCX, PPTX, Excel, markdown, HTML, and TXT can be converted to scanned PDFs by Look Scanned too.
It preserves original formatting while achieving a scanned look. Based on WebAssembly, Look Scanned can scan the PDF in flash. Moreover, it enables you to tweak the settings to make your PDF look better. It’s also worth noting that Look Scanned can work offline after the first load. So, it is suitable for use on planes, in tunnels, or in other places without Internet.
The following steps show you how to use this online PDF to scanned PDF converter to make PDF look like scanned.
Step 1: Navigate to the official website of Look Scanned.
Step 2: Click on the Start Scan button.

Step 3: Upload the target PDF, configure settings based on your needs, and start the process.
- Click Select or drop your file here and find & open the PDF in the prompted window. Alternatively, drag and drop the PDF file into the webpage.
- Open the Scan Settings drop-down menu and configure options like rotate, rotate variance, brightness, contrast, blur, noise, yellowish, and resolution.
- Click on the Generate Scanned PDF button to start the operation.

Step 4: After the scanning process ends, click Download Scanned PDF to download the result.

Make PDF Look Scanned Using i2pdf.com
i2pdf.com offers PDF to Scan tool that can convert an editable PDF to a scanned one or make a PDF look scanned online. As files are automatically deleted after 30 minutes, you don’t have to worry about privacy leakage. Here’s the tutorial on how to make PDF look scanned online free via i2pdf.com.
Step 1: Go to i2pdf.com and head to PDF to Scan tool.
Step 2: Upload the PDF into i2pdf.com. Drag & drop the PDF into the box or click Choose Files and open the target PDF.

Step 3: Click Options to open the menu where you can set resolution DPI, noise level, page tilt, and background color.

Step 4: Hit the Start button to begin the process. Once done, click on the Download button to get the scanned PDF.

Make PDF Look Scanned Using MiniTool PDF Editor
Unlike other converters mentioned in the post, MiniTool PDF Editor is an offline tool. It helps you make PDF look like scanned without Internet. Once you get it installed on your computer, you can make PDF look scanned at any time. This brings much convenience to users who are in an environment without Internet.
In addition to making PDF look scanned, MiniTool PDF Editor also helps you convert PDF to other file formats and convert files to PDF. For instance, it can convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT, image, EPUB, HTML, TXT, CAD, PDF/A, markdown, XPS, and vice versa.
Now, download, install, and launch MiniTool PDF Editor on your computer. Then follow these steps to make a PDF look scanned with it.
MiniTool PDF EditorClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 1: Open the target PDF with MiniTool PDF Editor. For doing that, you can use one of the following methods.
- Right-click the PDF, hover over the Open with option, and choose MiniTool PDF Editor on the sub-menu.
- Drag and drop the PDF into the main interface of MiniTool PDF Editor.
- Click the Open option, locate & select the PDF, and click the Open button.
Step 2: Tap on the Convert tab and click the Flatten option.

Step 3: In the pop-up window, choose Page Range, Output Path, and Settings. Then hit the Start button execute the operation.

Make PDF Look Scanned Using Chrome Extension
In addition to third-party software, Google Chrome extensions can also make PDF look scanned online free. Make PDF Look Scanned is one of such extensions. You can add it to your Chrome and then use it to make PDF look scanned. Here’s how to do that.
Step 1: Navigate to the Chrome Web Store and find Make PDF Look Scanned.
Step 2: Click Add to Chrome and then hit Add extension to confirm the operation.

Step 3: Tap on the Extension icon to locate & click the Make PDF Look Scanned extension. Then hit Generate.

Step 4: Open the PDF, customize settings, and start the process.
- Click Select PDF, locate the target PDF in the opened window, and click Open.
- Open the Customization menu and then configure settings based on your needs.
- Hit the Generate Scanned PDF button.

Step 5: After the process ends, download the scanned PDF to your computer.
The End
This post summarizes the meaning of making PDF look scanned and collects methods to do that. You can make PDF look like scanned using online PDF to scanned PDF converters, MiniTool PDF Editor, and Chrome extensions. Pick a way to make a PDF look scanned now!
If you have difficulty in using MiniTool PDF Editor, contact us by sending an email via [email protected]. We will help you work out issues as soon as possible.