Optical Character Recognition (OCR) refers to the technology used to convert scanned images into text. The technology allows you to scan pages of any printed materials, save it as a PDF, and then convert it to a Word document. You can convert OCR PDF to word free online by following the below 2 ways:
- Part 1: The Best Way to Convert OCR PDF to Word on Mac and Windows
- Part 2: Top 5 Free Online OCR PDF to Word Converter
Part 1: The Best Way to Convert OCR PDF to Word on Mac and Windows
PDFelement Pro - The Best OCR PDF to Word Converter
PDFelement Pro is the best program to use to convert PDF OCR to Word on Mac and Windows. The program enables you to edit PDF documents. You can add or delete texts, watermarks, links and images on a PDF document. The program converts PDF files including OCR PDFs to Microsoft Word and retains the format of the input. The program supports all the major output formats including Word, HTML, Excel, Rich and Plain Text, PowerPoint Presentation and EPUB.
Why Choose This PDF Editor:
- Converts PDF documents including OCR PDFs to editable formats like Microsoft Word.
- Creates and edits PDF documents like a word processor.
- Combines, splits, and compresses PDF files easily.
- Manages PDF documents by adding, removing and rotating pages.
- Allows users to share PDF files via email or Dropbox directly from the program.
Steps to convert PDF OCR to Word on Mac
Step 1. Open PDF in the PDF editor
Download, install and launch PDFelement for Mac. From the program's interface, select "Open File". The program will open your folder browser for you to search and open the PDF file you want to convert.
Step 2. Enable OCR feature
If you import OCR file, you will get notice that you need to enable the OCR feature first. To do so, go to the "Edit" menu and click "OCR" to activate the OCR feature.
Step 3. Select output format
Select the "Convert" option in the top right corner of the program interface and then select "To Word" as the output format from the pop-up conversion window. To convert PDF to other format, you can click the drop-down output format menu in the top right corner of the conversion window to choose the format you want.
Step 4. Start converting OCR PDF to Word
Now click "Convert" button. The program converts the OCR PDF document to Word automatically.
Part 2: Top 5 Free Online OCR PDF to Word Converter
1. Abbyy FineReader Online
FineReader Online allows you to convert scanned documents into other editable formats such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint Presentations, Excel, and searchable PDF files. The converter retains the original layout of the scanned document. You can convert table images on scanned PDFs into Microsoft Excel. FineReader Online saves recognized documents for 14 days and supports 193 languages.
Pros:
- The process of converting OCR PDF to Word is easy.
- It retains the layout of your scans in the recognized documents.
- The converter supports all the major input and output formats.
- It gives you up to 14 days save or share converted documents.
- It recognizes texts on photos.
Cons:
- The converter is free for only 10 pages of your document. Users are required to pay to convert additional pages.
- You must register with your email address to access the free pages credit.
- It does not recognize hand-written text.
2. Free Online OCR
The free service allows you to convert scanned documents into searchable and editable texts. Free Online OCR supports JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, and PDF input formats. The supported output formats include RTF, PDF, DOC and TXT formats. You do not need to install any program or application on your computer to use this converter. It rotates PDF pages automatically and keeps the formatting and layout of converted documents.
Pros:
- The service is free, secure, and does not require any email registration.
- Converts low resolution images into clear editable formats.
- The user interface is simple and the conversion process is fast.
- It retains the formatting, graphics and layout of scanned documents.
Cons:
- The service does give an option to choose the language for the output.
- It does not recognize handwritten text.
- The service sometimes give poor outputs when the input has colored text or background.
3. Online OCR
This service recognizes texts and characters on OCR PDF files, photographs and other images captured by digital cameras. The software can recognize text and characters on multipage PDF files. You do not need to install any software on your computer to covert PDF OCR to Word. Online OCR retains the layout of tables, graphics and columns in converted documents. The supported outputs formats include DOCX, XLSX, and TXT.
Pros:
- The service is free and does not require you to install any software to covert documents.
- It supports 46 languages.
- The software retains the layout and formatting of converted documents.
- It extracts and converts texts from images captured by digital camera and photos.
Cons:
- Users must register to covert multipage PDF files and access other additional features.
- It supports limited input and output formats.
- The maximum size of scanned document is limited to 5mb.
4. Free-OCR.com
Free OCR is a free OCR PDF to Word converter that recognizes and extracts texts from images. Users are not required to provide their email address or register to use the service. The service supports BMP, JPG, TIFF, PDF, and GIF input formats. Free OCR supports 29 languages.
Pros:
- You can choose more than one language for your output.
- The software optimizes inputs before processing.
- The software does not require personal information like email or installation to convert documents.
Cons:
- Slow to launch.
- The input file is limited to 6 MB.
- You can only upload and convert one page (first page) of your OCR PDF file.
- The software does not keep the formatting and layout of converted documents.
5. i2OCR
The free OCR PDF to Word converter does not require any registration or email to use. It recognizes more than 60 languages and supports PGM, JPG, PPM, PNG, TIF, and BMP input formats. The supported output formats include PDF, Text and Microsoft Word.
Pros:
- The service can extract and convert texts from multiple columns.
- It allows you to upload an image from a web address.
- The software is confidential and secure. All inputs and outputs are automatically deleted in an hour.
- The interface offers a side-by-side view of the input and output for review.
Cons:
- The software does not retain the formatting and layout of the converted text.
- The software does not recognize handwritten text.
Ivan Cook
chief Editor