How to tell if a PDF is scanned
Try selecting a sentence with your mouse or finger. If nothing can be selected and each page behaves like one picture, the PDF is probably image-based and needs OCR before the text can be edited.
How to extract text from a scanned PDF
Use OCR when a PDF page behaves like an image and you cannot select or copy the text normally.
Open PDF OCR →Choose the correct OCR language
Pick English for English documents, Arabic for Arabic documents, or a mixed option for pages that contain both. The correct language setting helps recognition quality, especially for similar letter shapes.
Run OCR and review the output
Upload the PDF, start OCR and review the extracted text before using it elsewhere. Names, numbers, dates, addresses and low-quality scans deserve extra attention.
Improve difficult scans
Straight pages, readable contrast and adequate resolution generally produce better OCR. Very blurry, skewed or handwritten pages can require manual correction after recognition.
What to do next
Once the text is extracted, you can copy it, save it as text, translate it, or use another document workflow. Keep the original PDF for comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Does OCR work on Arabic scanned PDFs?
Yes. The PDF OCR tool supports Arabic and mixed English + Arabic recognition.
Can OCR preserve the original page layout perfectly?
No. OCR focuses on extracting readable text rather than reproducing every visual detail of the original page.
Should I trust OCR for important numbers?
Review important numbers, dates, names and identifiers against the original scan before relying on them.