OCR PDF

Make the text in scanned documents searchable.

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

How do you recognize text in a scanned PDF?

OCR turns text in page images into searchable or selectable text. Its accuracy still needs review.

  1. Inspect scan quality

    Check for missing edges, blur, and incorrect orientation.

  2. Choose OCR language and pages

    In an OCR-capable tool, select the document language and page range.

  3. Run text recognition

    Choose searchable or editable output according to your needs.

  4. Verify the recognized text

    Pay particular attention to names, dates, amounts, and accented characters.

This guide explains the general workflow in an application that supports the operation. This version offers file selection and type/size checks; it does not generate processed output.

Frequently asked questions

Answers about the workflow, file quality, and situations you may encounter.

Is OCR the same as converting PDF to Word?

No. OCR recognizes text in images; Word conversion is an additional step that places content into another document structure.

Why might accented characters be recognized incorrectly?

Incorrect language settings or poor scans can affect recognition. Select the right language and review the result manually.

Is OCR perfectly accurate?

Accuracy is not guaranteed. Correct recognized text and compare important numbers and names against the source image.

Can a searchable PDF retain the scanned appearance?

It depends on the OCR output type. Preserving an image with searchable text differs from creating editable content.

Is handwriting recognized as reliably as printed text?

Do not assume so. Check the engine’s handwriting support and review automatic results particularly carefully.

Can I complete the operation and download a file on this page?

This version supports file selection and checks of file type, size, and count. Processing is not connected, so it does not convert, edit, or generate downloads. The guide describes a workflow in an application that supports the operation.

Which file types and sizes can I select?

This tool accepts PDF file extensions. You can select up to 20 files, with a 25 MB per-file limit and 100 MB total. Checking an extension does not verify that the file contents are valid or undamaged.

Are my selected files sent to a server?

In this version, file contents are not read or uploaded. Selections stay in the tab’s memory and are cleared on refresh. File names, extensions, and sizes are used only to display and check your selection.