How to Extract Text from a PDF, Even a Scanned One (OCR)

Copying text out of a PDF often goes wrong: lines break in odd places, columns get mixed up, or nothing can be selected at all. The last case usually means the PDF is a scan, a picture of a page rather than real text.

Is your PDF a scan?

• If you can select single words with your mouse or finger, the PDF has a text layer and the text can be extracted directly.
• If a tap selects the whole page like a picture, it is a scan or photo. You need OCR (optical character recognition) to read it.
• Many PDFs from offices and government portals mix both: typed pages plus scanned attachments.

Extract the text in three steps

1. Open PDFAdore PDF to Text and select your PDF.
2. Keep "Use OCR" selected so scanned pages are read too, or choose "Text only" for a faster run on typed PDFs.
3. Click Extract text and download the .txt file. Each page is marked so you can find your place.

Getting better OCR results

• Scan at 300 DPI or take photos in good light, holding the phone straight above the page.
• Crop away table edges and fingers before converting; Scan to PDF does this for you on a phone.
• OCR currently reads English text. Always check numbers, names and dates, because similar characters such as 0 and O can be confused.

Tip: Need the layout, tables and fonts as well as the words? Use PDF to Word instead. A .txt file keeps plain text only.

Frequently asked questions