How do I make a scanned PDF document searchable?

Open your scanned PDF in Acrobat. Go to 'All tools' > 'Scan & OCR' > 'In this file'. Select the pages you want to process and the language of the text. Click 'Recognize Text'. Acrobat will add a layer of searchable text.

How does Adobe's OCR compare to just typing out text from a scan?

Feature Adobe OCR Manual Typing. Speed Very fast for many pages Slow, especially for long documents Accuracy High, especially with good scans Depends on typist's skill and focus Searchability Creates a searchable layer Resulting text is searchable, original image is not Effort Automated process Requires significant manual labor Original Layout Tries to keep original layout and images Often loses original layout, creates new document

OCR Vendor Contracts in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Run OCR on the [signed vendor agreements] in folder [folder=Vendors_Q1_2026] to convert them…+

Run OCR on the [signed vendor agreements] in folder [folder=Vendors_Q1_2026] to convert them into searchable text and export them as [searchable PDFs] so I can locate [compliance clauses] during audits.

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

BImprove — “do it better”Before I hand off searchable vendor agreements for audit review, run OCR on…+

Before I hand off searchable vendor agreements for audit review, run OCR on [collection=Vendors_Q1_2026], ensure clause headings and signature blocks remain intact and searchable, create a short metadata summary listing vendor, effective date and key compliance clauses on the cover page, and flag any low-quality scans that need rescanning before review.

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 PDFA searchable PDF is a document where you can look for words, even if it started as a scanned image.ExampleEven though it was a scan, the searchable PDF let me find every instance of 'warranty' 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'.
Select the pages you want to process and the language of the text.
Click 'Recognize Text'. Acrobat will add a layer of searchable text.

Recognizing text in a scanned PDF converts images of words into actual text data. This lets you select, copy, and search for specific words within the document. It's important for finding information quickly, making documents accessible, and preparing them for archiving or indexing.

Acrobat fails to perform OCR if the page already contains 'renderable text,' meaning it has real text data, not just an image. The OCR feature is designed only for image-based pages. If you get an error, check if the document was created from a digital source rather than a scan. OCR is for turning pictures of text into actual text.

If your scanned contract is blurry, the accuracy of text recognition might be low. OCR works best with clear images. To improve results, try to rescan the document at a higher resolution, like 300 dpi. A clearer scan gives Acrobat better quality images to process, leading to more accurate text recognition.

Feature	Adobe OCR	Manual Typing
Speed	Very fast for many pages	Slow, especially for long documents
Accuracy	High, especially with good scans	Depends on typist's skill and focus
Searchability	Creates a searchable layer	Resulting text is searchable, original image is not
Effort	Automated process	Requires significant manual labor
Original Layout	Tries to keep original layout and images	Often loses original layout, creates new document

OCR Vendor Contracts

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails