Free browser tool · files stay on your device
Convert PDF to scanned PDF — make a digital PDF look scanned
Here is how to convert PDF to scanned PDF: drop a PDF, keep the Scanned look effect this page preselects, and export. LensUp renders every page to an image, adds a slight tilt, paper grain and softened contrast, and writes a new PDF — all on your device.
No sign-up, no watermark. Page images replace the text layer, so the file is larger and the text is no longer selectable.
This browser can’t open PDFs — it’s too old to run the PDF engine. Use the latest Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, or a newer phone or computer.
Add
On a computer, drag images or PDFs here, or paste a screenshot (Ctrl / ⌘ + V).
Adjust
EffectWhitens the paper background; dark print stays dark. Adds no tilt or grain.
Removes the color and adds a little contrast. Adds no tilt or grain.
Keeps the original colors, with no tone change. Adds no tilt or grain.
Pushes ink to black and paper to white; some gray can remain. Adds no tilt or grain.
Evens out shadows and uneven light; keeps colored ink and stamps.
Fades blue, red and green ink; cannot reliably remove black handwriting.
Warm gray paper, fine grain and a slight tilt; colored ink turns gray.
Export
Export optionsA4 · Single · No limit
ID card: places the first two pages as front & back at ID-1 size on one A4 sheet. Use Edit to crop or align the four corners.
PNG is lossless, so target sizes do not apply.
Uses original photos. Larger files and slower export. Available with No limit or PNG.
Optional. Keeps the image ratio and never exceeds the page.
How do I convert PDF to scanned PDF?
Open the PDF here, leave the Scanned look effect selected, and press Export. Each page is rendered to an image, tilted a fraction of a degree, softened and given paper grain, then all pages are rebuilt into one PDF. JPG and PNG pages work the same way. Nothing is uploaded — the whole job runs in your browser.
Searches like “make PDF look scanned”, “convert PDF to scanned document”, “PDF to scanned PDF converter”, “PDF to scan PDF” or “PDF to scanned copy” all describe the same job: a clean, typed PDF that should look like it went through an office scanner. This page is that tool, not a review of one.
It is the inverse of what LensUp usually does. The scanner takes a phone photo and returns a clean sheet; this page takes a clean sheet and returns what a scanner would have produced.
How it works
- Open the PDFChoose or drop a PDF, JPG or PNG. Multi-page PDFs open as separate pages you can reorder or remove.
- Keep the scanned lookScanned look is preselected: fine grain, softened contrast, warm gray paper and a slight tilt. Under the effects, Scan style changes the kind of scanner — Office scanner, Black & white, Photocopy or Old scanner — and Strength makes it lighter or stronger. The other four effect chips — White document, Grayscale, Color, Black & white — add no tilt and no grain. Picking one of them turns Scanned look off; pick Scanned look again to get it back.
- Export the scanned PDFPress Export. Set a size target such as 200 KB first if a portal enforces one; the real size is always shown.
When a PDF that looks scanned is the honest answer
Some upload portals only accept image PDFs — a “scanned copy” in their words — and reject a text PDF with the same content. Others sit next to an archive of real scans, where one crisp vector page stands out.
In both cases the content is unchanged and truthful; only the presentation matches what the receiver expects.
The scanned look, and what black and white, grayscale and color do instead
Scanned look is the only effect that adds the scanner treatment: a warm paper tone, softened contrast, fine grain, and a tilt of a fraction of a degree that changes from page to page. It renders in warm gray, so a blue signature or a red stamp comes out gray. Its scan styles change the treatment: Black & white makes every pixel black or white, with ragged ink edges and a little dust; Photocopy hardens the contrast and adds toner specks and a dark edge; Old scanner yellows the paper, softens the image and tilts it by up to about a degree. The other four add no tilt and no grain — White document whitens the paper, Grayscale drops the color and adds a little contrast, Color keeps the original colors, and Black & white pushes the contrast hard.
Whichever chip you pick, the page size stays the same: nothing is cropped or straightened, and the Scanned look tilt stays within about a degree, inside the page.
File size and text
Page images are heavier than a text PDF. A ten-page contract that was 200 KB as text may be a few megabytes as images; use the size target if a form sets a ceiling. Text is no longer selectable or searchable — if the receiver needs to search it, send the original alongside.
What this does not do
The scanned look changes how a page looks, nothing else. It does not sign a document, add a date, certify a copy or make a file “original”. If a form asks for a signed and scanned copy, that requirement is about the signature — sign the page, then scan or photograph it with the LensUp scanner.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free, and is my PDF uploaded?
Free, with no watermark and no sign-up. The PDF never leaves your device: rendering, the scanned look and the export all run in your browser.
Can I make a PDF look scanned in black and white?
Yes. Keep Scanned look and choose Black & white under Scan style: every pixel comes out black or white, with slightly ragged ink edges, a little dust and the slight tilt — what a black-and-white office scanner produces — and the file is usually much smaller than the gray look. Colored ink becomes black or white too, depending on how dark it is. The Black & white chip among the effects is different: it pushes the contrast but adds no tilt and no grain.
Does the scanned PDF keep selectable text?
No. Every page becomes an image, like a real scan, so the text cannot be selected or searched and the file is larger. Keep the original PDF if you need the text.
Can I use a Word file or an image?
JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC and TIFF work directly. For Word, export the document to PDF first, then open it here.
Does a scanned look make a document valid or signed?
No. It changes only the appearance. A requirement for a signed and scanned copy is about the signature; add it on paper or with a stamp image, then scan the page.