How do I make a scanned PDF searchable using Acrobat?

Open your scanned PDF in Acrobat. Go to 'All tools' > 'Scan & OCR' > 'In this file'. Choose the pages and language, then click 'Recognize Text'. Acrobat will add a hidden text layer, making your document searchable.

What is the difference between a scanned PDF and a regular PDF document?

Feature Scanned PDF (before OCR) Regular PDF (or scanned after OCR). Content type An image of pages Digital text, images, and other elements Searchable No (unless OCR is applied) Yes, text can be selected and searched Text editable No, it's a picture Yes, text can be edited directly File size Often larger due to image data Generally smaller, optimized for text

Legacy Files Untagged/Searchable in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

CDecide — “help me choose”The regulator requested legacy dossiers and I have ten days to deliver searchable, tagged…+

The regulator requested legacy dossiers and I have ten days to deliver searchable, tagged records. The legacy set includes scanned PDFs and poor OCR. I can't tell which batches are worst. Diagnose whether to do a spot-conversion now or push for an extended deadline, and give me the fast conversion approach and priority order so inspectors get usable files in time.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open the scanned PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
2
Go to the Tools menu.
3
Select Scan & OCR from the tools list.
4
Click Recognize Text and choose In This File.
5
In the settings panel, ensure PDF Output Style is set to Searchable Image.
6
Click Recognize to start the OCR process.
7
Save the PDF after OCR is complete.
Best practiceFor best OCR accuracy, scan your documents at 300 dpi and ensure the images are clear before running OCR.

In the appWith the API

After OCR completes, you can search, copy, and highlight text in your previously scanned PDF.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

OCROCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. It is technology that turns images of text into real text you can search and copy.ExampleAfter scanning a paper invoice, OCR allows you to copy the vendor's name from the image.

Searchable text layerThis is an invisible layer of text added to an image-based PDF, allowing you to search for words in the document.

DPIDPI means dots per inch, and it tells you how clear an image is when it is scanned.ExampleA scanned photo saved at 300 DPI will usually contain more detail than the same photo at 72 DPI.

Who does this

3 roles

ArchivistResearch LibrarianRecords Manager

FAQ

about this task

Open your scanned PDF in Acrobat.
Go to 'All tools' > 'Scan & OCR' > 'In this file'.
Choose the pages and language, then click 'Recognize Text'.
Acrobat will add a hidden text layer, making your document searchable.

Renderable text means the PDF already has real, selectable text on the page. OCR is designed only for image-based pages, like scans, where the text is just a picture. If the text is already 'renderable,' Acrobat sees no need to apply OCR, as it's already searchable. This prevents the tool from running on pages that don't need it.

If your scanned document is blurry, the OCR accuracy will be lower. OCR needs clear text to recognize characters correctly. To improve results, try to rescan the document at a higher quality, ideally 300 dpi. Also, make sure the document is flat and well-lit during scanning to avoid shadows or distortions that can confuse the OCR engine. Clearer images lead to much better text recognition.

Choosing the correct language for text recognition is very important because OCR uses language-specific dictionaries and rules to identify words. If you select the wrong language, the OCR engine might misinterpret characters or words, leading to many errors and poor search results. For example, 'ñ' in Spanish might be confused with 'n' if English is selected. Always match the OCR language to the document's language for the best accuracy.

Feature	Scanned PDF (before OCR)	Regular PDF (or scanned after OCR)
Content type	An image of pages	Digital text, images, and other elements
Searchable	No (unless OCR is applied)	Yes, text can be selected and searched
Text editable	No, it's a picture	Yes, text can be edited directly
File size	Often larger due to image data	Generally smaller, optimized for text

Legacy Files Untagged/Searchable

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails