How to copy text from a scanned PDF?
To copy text from a scanned PDF, you will first need to use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software to convert the scanned image of the text into editable text. Once the scanned PDF has been converted to a text-based document using OCR software, you can select, copy, and paste the text. Many OCR software is available online and offline as well; some are free to use.
Some examples are Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Adobe Scan, ABBYY FineReader, Readiris, and Tesseract OCR. You can use any of them to convert your scanned pdf into an editable pdf, and then you can easily copy and paste the text.
Online OCR PDF to text converters
Online OCR PDF-to-text converters are tools that can be used to convert scanned PDFs to text-based documents. The simplest approach is occasionally using online PDF OCR services, which don't require you to install any software. They also enable users to convert PDF files on any computer or operating system instantly.
You normally must upload your scanned PDF to the website before beginning the OCR process to use an online OCR PDF-to-text converter.OCR can take a few minutes to complete, depending on the document's size and complexity. After the procedure, you can download the new text-based document containing the identified and extracted text from the scanned PDF.
Some online OCR PDF-to-text converters also have additional features, such as the ability to convert handwriting to text, support for multiple languages, and the ability to process multiple pages at once. However, there may be limitations, such as a limited number of pages or characters that can be processed at one time.
Many online OCR tools can convert scanned PDFs to text. Here are a few examples:
- Adobe's online OCR service, click to use
- OnlineOCR.net - This tool supports multiple languages and allows you to upload PDFs and images for OCR.
- Free OCR - This website allows you to upload PDFs and images for OCR and
- can convert handwriting to text.
- OCR.Space - This website allows you to upload PDFs and images for OCR and can convert handwriting to text.
- SmallPDF - This website provides various PDF tools, one of which is OCR. It allows you to upload scanned PDFs and convert them to text.
Most of these online OCR tools are free to use but may have limitations, such as a limited number of pages or characters that can be processed at one time. They are easy to use. You must upload your scanned pdf to the website and run the OCR process. Once it’s done, you can download the new pdf with editable text.
Google Drive:
Here are the general steps to use Google Drive for OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on a scanned PDF:
- Log in to your Google account and open Google Drive.
- Upload the scanned PDF to Google Drive by clicking on the "New" button and selecting "File upload" or "Folder upload."
- If you convert the scanned PDF to a Google Doc, a pop-up window will ask you to do so. Click "OK" to proceed.
- Wait for the OCR process to complete. The length and complexity of the document will determine how long this will take.
- Once the OCR process is complete, you can edit, select, copy, and paste the text from the newly created Google Doc.
- To download the OCR-ed PDF, you can go to "File" and then "Download as" and select the format you want to download it.
Note: Google Drive uses OCR technology to convert scanned PDFs to Google Docs, this feature is built-in, and you don't need to install any additional software.
Offline OCR PDF to text converters
Offline OCR PDF-to-text converters are software programs that can be installed on a computer and used to convert scanned PDFs to text-based documents without an internet connection. These tools use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to recognize and extract the text from the scanned image of a PDF document. The text has been extracted after that and can be edited, copied, and pasted into other documents or applications.
To use an offline OCR PDF-to-text converter, you typically need to install the software on your computer and then open the scanned PDF in the program. The OCR procedure's length depends on the document's size and complexity. Once the process is complete, you can save the new text-based document containing the text that was recognized and extracted from the scanned PDF.
There are several offline OCR PDF-to-text converters available. Some examples include:
1. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC - This software includes OCR functionality and can be used to convert scanned PDFs to text-based documents. It also includes advanced features such as the ability to edit PDFs, add comments, and create PDF forms.
2. ABBYY FineReader - This professional OCR software allows you to convert scanned PDFs and images to editable formats. It also includes advanced features such as text recognition in over 190 languages, batch processing, and support for PDFs with digital signatures and encryption.
3. Readiris - This OCR software converts scanned PDFs, images, and documents into editable formats such as Microsoft Word and Excel. It includes advanced features such as text recognition in over 130 languages, batch processing, and PDFs with digital signatures and encryption support.
4. Tesseract OCR - This open-source OCR software can transform scanned PDF files into text-based documents. It is command-line based and can be integrated into other applications.
All these software can be installed on your computer, and you can use them to convert scanned PDFs to text-based documents without an internet connection. They have more advanced features than online OCR services but may also have limitations, such as a limited number of pages or characters that can be processed at one time. Additionally, they may require a license to use all the features.