PDF guide
FrançaisNative PDF text vs OCR: how to edit a scanned PDF
A PDF can look like text while containing only a page image. The editor checks for meaningful native text first, then offers optional local OCR for pages that need recognition.
Open the PDF editorNative text is already inside the PDF
A text-based PDF has characters and positions that a viewer can select or search. Editing a line in this kind of document starts with the existing text layer.
- 1Open the PDF and wait for the text lines to load.
- 2Choose Edit text and click a line that is already selectable.
- 3Correct the line and review the visual replacement before export.
A scan is a picture of a page
A scanned PDF usually has no useful character layer. The page can still look sharp, but there are no words for a text editor to select.
- 1Open the document and watch for pages reported without meaningful native text.
- 2Keep the native text that is present on hybrid pages.
- 3Run OCR only for the pages containing lines you need to edit.
Run OCR when the document needs it
OCR recognition runs locally and supports English, French or both. Recognition assists editing; it does not add an invisible searchable text layer to an unedited scan on export. Inspect the recognized lines and correct uncertain results before exporting.
- 1Select the OCR language in the editor.
- 2Start OCR for the missing pages or use the optional supplement.
- 3Cancel if the document is too large for the current device, then continue with manual annotations.
Know the boundary
OCR does not recreate the original typography perfectly. Font matching is estimated, and some complex scripts or combining sequences may not reproduce safely.
- 1Compare each edited line with the scan.
- 2Choose a replacement font when the suggested one is not suitable.
- 3Keep the original PDF alongside the exported copy.