How do I make text selectable in a scanned PDF using Adobe Acrobat?

Open your PDF in Acrobat. Go to All tools > Scan & OCR. Select In this file. Choose the pages and language. Click Recognize Text to make the text selectable.

If my scan is blurry or low quality, will Recognize Text (OCR) still work in Acrobat?

OCR may not work well on blurry or low-quality scans. Text might be recognized incorrectly or missed completely. For best results, scan at 300 dpi or higher and make sure the text is clear.

What is the difference between a searchable PDF and an image-only PDF in Acrobat?

Searchable PDF Image-only PDF. You can select, copy, and search text. You cannot select or search text. Created by running OCR on a scan. Created by scanning or taking a photo without OCR. Screen readers can read the text. Screen readers cannot read the text.

◆ Acrobat · edit

Make Text Selectable

Make the scanned grant attachment selectable: run OCR on the scanned methods attachment, correct obvious recognition e…

2ready prompts

2real tasks

3roles

See the prompt↓More edit workflows

When to use it

real situations

You scanned a contract and need to copy some text.
You want to search for a word in an old paper report you scanned.
You need to make a receipt PDF readable for screen readers.

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Make the scanned grant attachment selectable: run OCR on the scanned methods attachment,…+

Make the scanned grant attachment selectable: run OCR on the scanned methods attachment, correct obvious recognition errors, and save a searchable, editable PDF so reviewers can quote methods precisely.

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 the grant attachment to reviewers, reduce quoting errors: run OCR, correct…+

Before I hand the grant attachment to reviewers, reduce quoting errors: run OCR, correct commonly misread technical terms and units, embed the original scanned image behind the text layer for verification, and deliver a searchable PDF with a short errata note of fixes I made.

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 layerA searchable text layer lets you find and copy words in a PDF, even if it started as a picture.

renderable textRenderable text is real text in a PDF, not just an image.

Who does this

3 roles

ArchivistResearch LibrarianRecords Manager

FAQ

about this task

Open your PDF in Acrobat.
Go to All tools > Scan & OCR.
Select In this file.
Choose the pages and language.
Click Recognize Text to make the text selectable.

OCR, or Optical Character Recognition, is a feature in Adobe Acrobat that reads images of text and turns them into real, selectable text. This is important because it lets you search, copy, or edit text that was only a picture before. Without OCR, scanned documents are just images, and you can’t interact with the words.

OCR may not work well on blurry or low-quality scans.
Text might be recognized incorrectly or missed completely.
For best results, scan at 300 dpi or higher and make sure the text is clear.

Acrobat shows this error because OCR only works on pages that are images with no real text. If a page already has selectable or real text, Acrobat will not run OCR and will show the 'renderable text' error. This helps avoid changing or damaging text that is already usable.

Searchable PDF	Image-only PDF
You can select, copy, and search text.	You cannot select or search text.
Created by running OCR on a scan.	Created by scanning or taking a photo without OCR.
Screen readers can read the text.	Screen readers cannot read the text.

Make Text Selectable

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails