Make a scanned letter searchable and check recognition errors
A scanned letter contains Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta and a date.
Open Searchable PDF (OCR) →Follow these steps
- Open a scanned PDF with legible text in a supported language.
- Run recognition. The first use downloads a recognition model, so an internet connection is needed for that download.
- Export the searchable PDF and check names, dates and numbers by searching or copying text.
The document and the intended outcome
A scanned letter contains Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta and a date. Choose its supported language, recognize the scan and compare every important word and number before exporting.
Make this example work for your file
For a scanned receipt, review the date, merchant and total against the image. Searchability is useful, but a recognized digit can be wrong. Correct extracted records before using them for accounting or a submission.
Choose only the settings this case needs
Use the selected language and page range; review the recognition screen where available. First use may download a model, so test with a short scan and a stable connection.
When the example needs a different approach
A searchable text layer can be invisible by design. Search for a known phrase and inspect extracted text while checking that the scan remains readable.
Check the result
Recognition accuracy depends on scan quality. English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese are selectable. OCR does not recreate a Word document or make image text directly editable.
Keep the original. When this task produces a file, reopen the download in the application where you will use it and inspect the affected pages. An illustration explains the operation; it is not a recorded processing test.
Practical tips
- Use the selected language and page range; review the recognition screen where available. First use may download a model, so test with a short scan and a stable connection.
- Correct the recognized text against the scan. Similar characters such as 0/O and 1/l need manual review, especially in identifiers.
- A searchable text layer can be invisible by design. Search for a known phrase and inspect extracted text while checking that the scan remains readable.
Questions
Names or numbers are wrong?
Correct the recognized text against the scan. Similar characters such as 0/O and 1/l need manual review, especially in identifiers.
The visible scan still looks unchanged?
A searchable text layer can be invisible by design. Search for a known phrase and inspect extracted text while checking that the scan remains readable.
Are other languages supported?
Choose English, French, German, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese. Indian scripts and arbitrary Unicode embedding are not yet supported. Review the result.