How to OCR a PDF: Extract Text from PDF Images

Use Xodo’s OCR tool to extract text from PDF image file online, on your desktop, and on mobile devices. Plus, get answers to your most common questions on OCR.

One common challenge that comes with digital documents are scanned PDFs. Being able to access and extract text from images can be a struggle.

If you’ve ever dealt with old scanned in paper records, photographed physical documents, or received an image PDF, then you know how difficult it is to work with the text as-is.

Fortunately, there’s OCR (Optical Character Recognition technology). Using OCR on a scanned PDF lets you access, search, and extract text so you can mark up and edit it as needed.

So how do you get started? We’ll show you everything you need to know.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Converting PDF image to text using OCR online
• Extracting text from PDFs and images on desktop
• How to scan and get text from images on your phone
• Answers to common questions about OCR technology

Join us as we take a look at OCR, scanned PDFs, and how Xodo can help.

How to OCR a PDF Using Xodo

Xodo provides a full suite of tools for performing OCR on your PDFs on any platform.

So, if you’re working online, on your desktop, or on your mobile device, you’ve got options!

Our guides below will walk you through the steps for each platform, ensuring you can extract text from any scanned PDF or image no matter where you are.

Convert PDF Image to Text Using OCR Online

Follow these steps to use OCR and extract text from PDF using Xodo online:

1. Go to Xodo’s PDF OCR tool.
2. Upload your scanned PDF.
3. Select your output option – either .txt or .pdf. For quick text extractions, choose .txt.
4. Click on Convert to start the OCR process.
5. Download the converted file to your device.

Xodo’s online OCR tool is ideal for quickly converting your scanned document to searchable PDFs and is accessible with an internet connection.

Moreover, as a subscriber you can upload and process PDFs at once, speeding up your work if you deal with large volumes of scanned PDFs.

Extract Text from PDFs and Images on Desktop

You can use Xodo PDF Studio on desktop to easily turn PDF image into text with OCR. Here's how:

1. Download and install Xodo PDF Studio on your Windows, macOS, or Linux.
2. Open your PDF file in Xodo PDF Studio.
3. Go to the Document tab > OCR.
4. Select your OCR settings. You can specify the language, pages, resolution, and options to correct any skewed or mis-rotated pages. Click on OK to start the OCR process.
5. Once the process is done, you can go to the File tab > Save to save the searchable PDF to your device. It can now be searched, edited, or marked up.
6. To extract the text, highlight the text you want to pull out and right-click to display the context menu.
7. Select Extract > Extract Text and when prompted, save the .txt file to your device.

And that’s it! Xodo PDF Studio simplifies and enhances the process. It supports a wide range of OCR languages so you can work with scanned PDFs in different languages.

Note that if you’re using OCR for the first time, you’ll need to download the language packs. Click on Download in the OCR Options dialog and add a specific language to the list.

In addition, Xodo PDF Studio can easily batch process scanned PDFs with OCR. Go to Batch > Document > OCR. Then upload your files, select your options, and click on Start. It’s that easy.

Scan and Get Text from Images on Your Phone

Follow these steps to turn your smartphone into a portable scanner and text extractor with Xodo's mobile app. Here's how to use OCR on Android:

1. Download the Xodo app for Android onto your device.
2. Tap on the app’s Scanner icon to capture an image of a document. You can select to Retake or Keep Scan by tapping on either option. You can also crop the image before deciding.
3. Once you tap on Keep Scan, you can access and check the Recognize text (OCR) option on the next screen to create a searchable PDF. Tap on Convert.
4. Then locate and tap on the newly converted PDF to open it and tap on the pair of glasses icon at the bottom of the screen. You’ll then be able to view the raw text that was recognized by the OCR tool.
5. To extract the text, simply long tap and drag on the text you want, and then tap on the 3 vertical dots in the context menu that appears.
6. From the list that appears, select to either Share the text to extract it into an email, text message, or social app, or to Copy the text to paste it into a notepad app or other writing tool on your device.

With Xodo’s mobile app, you can digitize and OCR image to text all in one go. Note that the steps above are similar to those for iOS so you can follow along on your Apple device, as well.

Answers to Common Questions

Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about OCR technology and how it works with Xodo.

What is OCR and How Does It Work?

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is the key technology that lets you convert and extract scanned image PDFs into editable and searchable PDF text, making your documents more accessible and re-useable.

Without OCR, scanned PDFs are just images – visually accessible but not much else. You can’t search for keywords, copy and paste text, or make edits to the image-based content.

Xodo’s OCR technology works by analyzing the shapes of characters of that image to generate a digital layer that will allow PDF tools to read text from PDF image content.

Can OCR Handle Images and Handwritten Text in PDFs?

Yes, Xodo’s OCR can process both printed text and certain types of handwritten text, though, the accuracy of converted handwritten text may vary depending on the legibility of the writing.

How Accurate is OCR When Extracting Text from PDFs?

The OCR technology used by Xodo has a high accuracy rate for extracting printed text. Note that this will also depend on the quality of the scan, the original document itself, the resolution of the original PDF image.

What Formats Can I Export OCR Results To?

Xodo allows you to export OCR results to various formats, including exporting directly to plain text and searchable PDFs, as well as CSV, Word documents and more, depending on your needs.

How Can I Edit and Format Text After OCR Extraction?

Once the text is extracted, you can easily edit and format it within Xodo PDF Studio or Xodo online, which offers PDF text and document editing tools. You can add or delete text, adjust fonts, tweak paragraph formatting, and more.

Make the Most Out of OCR Technology

With Xodo’s powerful OCR tools, you’ve learned how to OCR a PDF and extract text from PDF image files online, on your desktop, and on your mobile device.

Being able to perform the task across all platforms gives you the productive advantage you need to manage both your documents and time.

Xodo can easily transform how you work. From viewing and editing PDF to OCR’ing and converting scanned PDFs, Xodo helps you integrate image PDFs into your original workflow.

With Xodo Document Suite, you get all the tools you need in one subscription—perfect for businesses and professionals looking to streamline their digital documents.

Ready to elevate your document management?