# How do I OCR a PDF in Adobe? — DocFind

Last reviewed: September 23, 2026. HTML version: https://docfindapp.com/answers/ocr-pdf-in-adobe

**Acrobat calls it Scan & OCR, and it is two clicks deeper in the menu than people expect.** Adobe's own description of the problem is the clearest one: "When you scan a paper document to PDF, the resulting file contains only image data, not searchable text" ([*Recognize text in scanned documents*](https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/create-documents/scan-documents-to-pdfs/recognize-text.html), read 23 September 2026). All steps below are Adobe's.

## One file <ol> <li>Open the scanned PDF and select **All tools > Scan & OCR**.</li> <li>Select **In this file**.</li> <li>"In the dialog box, select the page range and language for text recognition."</li> <li>Optionally select **Settings** for additional options.</li> <li>Select **Recognize Text**.</li> </ol> <p>"Acrobat creates a searchable text layer in your PDF." That is the whole change Adobe describes: the scan still looks like a scan, and gains text you can select and search.</p>

## Several files at once <ol> <li>**All tools > Scan & OCR**, then **In multiple files**.</li> <li>"In the Recognize Text dialog box, select Add files and select the PDFs you want to process."</li> <li>"In the Output Options dialog box, specify a target folder for the processed files and set filename preferences. Select OK."</li> <li>Set the General Settings options, select OK. "Acrobat processes the selected documents and creates searchable versions in the specified output folder."</li> </ol> <p>Note the output folder: batch OCR writes new files rather than editing the originals in place.</p>

## The step that blocks it <p>Adobe puts this first for a reason: "Remove any security restrictions before editing a scanned PDF." Adobe puts it before the steps. Adobe also recommends saving "a backup copy of the original scanned PDF before editing", "so you can restore it if needed".</p> <p>Adobe's page does not say what Acrobat does with a page that already carries text, so check before you start rather than assume. [How to tell.](https://docfindapp.com/answers/does-my-pdf-have-a-text-layer)</p>

## A shortcut that is easy to miss <p>On the desktop app, simply choosing **Edit** on a scanned PDF does it for you: "Acrobat automatically applies OCR to your document and converts it to an editable PDF copy" ([*Edit scanned documents*](https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/create-documents/scan-documents-to-pdfs/edit-scans.html), read 23 September 2026). Useful, and worth knowing it has happened, because that is a conversion you did not explicitly ask for.</p>

## What a text layer does not guarantee <p>Recognition is a reading, not a transcription. Adobe's own advice after a pass is to "review the document to ensure the text is accurate and complete", and to "correct any errors manually or rerun OCR with adjusted settings". A misread stores the wrong word, so a search for the correct spelling silently misses it — the page looks searchable and is not, for that word.</p>

Related: [How to make a PDF file readable](https://docfindapp.com/answers/make-pdf-file-readable) · [Make a scanned PDF searchable](https://docfindapp.com/answers/make-a-scanned-pdf-searchable) · [What is OCR?](https://docfindapp.com/answers/what-is-ocr) · [Does my PDF have a text layer?](https://docfindapp.com/answers/does-my-pdf-have-a-text-layer)