How do I make a scanned PDF searchable using Scan & OCR?

First, open your scanned PDF in Acrobat. Go to 'All tools' and select 'Scan & OCR'. Choose 'In this file', then set your page range and language. Click 'Recognize Text'. Acrobat will add a hidden text layer, making your document searchable.

If my scanned document is blurry, how can I improve OCR accuracy?

Scan your document again at a higher resolution, like 300 dpi, before running OCR. Ensure the document is flat and well-lit during scanning to avoid shadows. Choose the correct language for the text in the Scan & OCR settings before starting.

What is the difference between a scanned PDF and an OCR'd PDF?

Feature Scanned PDF OCR'd PDF. Content Type Image of text Image with hidden, searchable text Searchable No, you cannot search for words Yes, you can search for words Copy Text No, you cannot copy text Yes, you can copy text File Size Often larger (just an image) Can be optimized, includes text data

Provide Digital Surrogates in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Create durable digital surrogates of fragile originals by converting the high‑resolution scans…+

Create durable digital surrogates of fragile originals by converting the high‑resolution scans to searchable PDFs, export individual high‑quality images for online viewers, compress master derivatives for scholar downloads, and store both versions in the Preservation folder before next month’s reading requests.

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

BImprove — “do it better”Prepare the surrogate package so conservators and researchers accept it without handling the…+

Prepare the surrogate package so conservators and researchers accept it without handling the original: produce a full‑text PDF for searching, export TIFFs for the image repository, create a smaller compressed PDF for download, embed a provenance note on the first page stating 'digital surrogate — handle original only by appointment', and verify image fidelity against the master scan.

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

Digital SurrogateA digital copy of a physical item, like a scanned paper document.ExampleA scanned image of an old photograph serves as its digital surrogate for online sharing.

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.ExampleThe searchable text layer made it possible to find keywords within the scanned meeting minutes.

Who does this

3 roles

ArchivistResearch LibrarianRecords Manager

FAQ

about this task

First, open your scanned PDF in Acrobat.
Go to 'All tools' and select 'Scan & OCR'.
Choose 'In this file', then set your page range and language.
Click 'Recognize Text'. Acrobat will add a hidden text layer, making your document searchable.

OCR, or Optical Character Recognition, is a technology that converts images of text into actual, editable text. It matters because when you scan a document, it's just a picture. OCR makes that picture's text readable by computers, so you can search for words, copy text, and even edit it. This is very important for archiving and indexing documents, making old paper files useful in a digital world.

Acrobat gives this error because the page you are trying to OCR already has real text, not just an image. The OCR feature is designed to work on pages that are only images. If the page already has text, Acrobat sees no need to add another text layer and stops the process. You only need OCR for image-only pages.

Scan your document again at a higher resolution, like 300 dpi, before running OCR.
Ensure the document is flat and well-lit during scanning to avoid shadows.
Choose the correct language for the text in the Scan & OCR settings before starting.

Feature	Scanned PDF	OCR'd PDF
Content Type	Image of text	Image with hidden, searchable text
Searchable	No, you cannot search for words	Yes, you can search for words
Copy Text	No, you cannot copy text	Yes, you can copy text
File Size	Often larger (just an image)	Can be optimized, includes text data

Provide Digital Surrogates

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

When it fails