VARAK PDF

FREE GUIDE · About 2 min

How to OCR a scanned PDF and make it editable

OCR turns pictures of text into text you can search, select and copy. Make Editable goes further and lets you correct it.

Step by step

  1. Open the scanned PDF

    Open the scan in VARAK, or scan paper first with Scan Document.

  2. Choose Recognize Text (OCR)

    From Tools choose Recognize Text (OCR). Pick the language if VARAK did not detect it.

  3. Wait a moment

    Recognition runs page by page on the device. VARAK tells you how many words became searchable.

  4. Search, select or copy

    The text layer is now part of the PDF: find words, select and copy them, or export the text as a .txt file.

  5. Make Editable to correct mistakes

    Choose Make Editable and the page becomes real text in a typeface matched to the scan. Tap a word to correct it.

  • Lines the recognizer is unsure of are left exactly as scanned, so nothing is quietly changed.
  • Recognition languages depend on the system; VARAK tells you if a language is not installed.
Scan, OCR & Convert

Questions and answers

Is OCR free and unlimited?

Yes. There is no page limit, no watermark and no account.

Is the document sent to a server for recognition?

No. Recognition runs on the device. VARAK never uploads your files.

What is the difference between OCR and Make Editable?

OCR adds an invisible, searchable text layer behind the scan. Make Editable replaces the picture of the text with real, editable text.

Try it on your own documents.

Free download for iPhone, iPad and Mac. No account needed.

Download on the App Store ↗

VARAK never uploads your files.