To edit scanned PDFs, you can use an online PDF editor like pdf.net, Google Docs, or Word. Because a scanned PDF is just an image of a page, you either run OCR to turn it into text or add new text on top of it.
Many often encounter challenges such as complex formatting, non-editable text, low-quality text and images, line breaks, and misread characters.
If you have difficulty editing scanned PDFs, this article introduces you to easy and effective methods for streamlining this process. You’ll also learn how to tell whether your PDF is scanned, which method fits your situation, and how to fix common OCR problems.
Key Takeaways
- Scanned PDFs are image-based files, meaning their text isn’t immediately editable without specialized tools.
- OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology converts scanned images into editable text, so you can edit the text (layout may need some manual cleanup).
- Editing methods vary: online tools like pdf.net offer simplicity and speed; Google Docs has built-in OCR, while Photoshop suits one-off visual fixes.
- For best results, use high-resolution scans (around 300 DPI), optimize brightness and contrast, and save backups of your original files.
- Even good OCR can misread characters, so check names, numbers, and dates before you share the file.
What Is a Scanned PDF?
A scanned PDF is a digital copy of a physical document intended for electronic use (e.g., a computer or mobile phone). The Portable Document Format (PDF) is compatible with various devices and keeps the layout consistent across them.
Creating scanned copies of important documents can help transfer the content from printed papers, books, magazines, or similar documents to computers or mobile devices. This allows users to create archives, edit those files, prepare them for further sharing, or tweak them for their own use.
Generally, editing scanned PDF documents is necessary to correct typos, modify layouts, add a search option, annotations, and hyperlinks, or make other changes and adaptations.
How to Tell if Your PDF Is Scanned
Use this quick test before you start:
- Try to click and drag over a line of text. If nothing highlights, or the whole page highlights as one block, the page is an image.
- Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) and search for a word you can see on the page. No results means there is no text layer.
- Zoom in on the page. Blurry letters, slightly tilted lines, or shadowed edges usually mean the page was scanned or photographed.
If the text is selectable, you can edit it directly. If it isn’t, use one of the methods below.
What Is OCR, and How Does It Help in Editing Scanned PDFs?
OCR, or Optical Character Recognition, is the electronic or mechanical conversion of images of handwritten, printed, or typed text. It can help in editing documents by recognizing and transferring texts in scanned documents or photos. In practice, OCR is what turns an image-only page into real text you can select, search, and edit.
When creating a digital copy of a document, scanners create bitmaps, which show all the elements of the physical document (e.g., letters, dots, blank spots, etc.). OCR tools then detect such bitmaps and recreate them into text, including punctuation marks and spaces. As a result, users get an editable text format.
It’s important to mention that OCR technology is not perfect and may not apply to all parts of the document equally. Additionally, having a low-quality scanned document or photo may make this process more challenging. Handwriting is especially hard: typed text is recognized far more accurately than cursive or messy notes.
OCR can produce two kinds of output:
- A searchable PDF, where an invisible text layer sits behind the original image so the page looks the same
- An editable document, such as a Word or Google Docs file rebuilt from the recognized text.
4 Methods to Edit Scanned PDFs
There are several methods for editing scanned documents, some of which include using online tools like pdf.net or programs like Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and Photoshop.
Here’s how they compare:
Method | Best for | Keeps the original layout? | Skill level |
|---|---|---|---|
pdf.net | Quick fixes, adding text, and filling in scanned forms; no installation | Yes, you edit on the page | Beginner |
Google Docs | Free OCR that turns a scan into editable text | Partly; reformatting is usually needed | Beginner |
Microsoft Word | Final edits after OCR or PDF-to-Word conversion | Partly | Beginner |
Photoshop | One-page visual fixes, such as logos, stamps, or a few characters | Yes, but the page stays an image | Advanced |
Now let’s examine each method in more detail.
Using pdf.net
Our online PDF editor allows you to edit text in scanned PDF files. If your scan already has a text layer, you can click the text and change it directly. If it’s an image-only page, you can type new text on top of it. Also, if you have a static/scanned form, you can make it fillable with our editor.
Here’s what you need to do:
#1. Upload Your Scanned PDF
Go to pdf.net and click the Edit text button in the header. Then, press the Choose file button or drag your file into the box to upload the document.
#2. Use Available Tools to Edit the Document
You can select the text option and the parts of the document with text to edit. Once you do that, you can change the font, size, and text color, as well as add, remove, or highlight text. To fill in blanks on a scan, you can also add new text anywhere on the page.
#3. Download the File
To finalize this process, click the Download or share button at the top right corner. The download process will start automatically. If the file is large, compress the PDF before you share it.
Using Google Docs
Editing scanned documents in Google Docs uses the free, built-in OCR in Google Drive, so you don’t need extra software. The scanned page appears at the top of the document, with the recognized text underneath it.
These are the steps on how to edit scanned PDFs in Google Docs:
#1. Upload Your File to Google Drive and Open it With Google Docs
Go to your Google Drive, select your file, and drag it to the middle of the Drive webpage. When it is ready, click the three dots to open the drop-down menu and select Open with Google Docs.
#2. Edit the Document
Google’s automatic OCR will convert your file to an editable document. As it may lose the original format, you may need to reformat your file manually. Then, you can edit the text using available tools. Very long or large scans may not convert completely, so split the PDF into smaller parts first if needed.
#3. Download Your File
After you finish editing your document, click on File in the menu and hover over the Download button. Then, you can choose from various formats to download your file. Also, Google Docs will automatically save your edits, so you can keep the document on the drive for future use. To get a PDF back, choose PDF Document (.pdf) in the same Download menu.
Using Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is also a commonly used program for editing scanned documents. Keep in mind that Word can’t recognize text in an image-only PDF by itself; it usually imports each page as a picture. That’s why the first step is to run OCR or convert the file.
Here’s how to edit scanned PDFs in Word:
#1. Run OCR or Convert PDF to Word
Before you begin, run your scan through a PDF-to-Word converter or an OCR tool; this gives you an editable Word document that you can open and modify immediately.
If your PDF already has a text layer (a searchable PDF), you can skip this step and open it directly in Word by choosing File, then Open. Word will convert the file and may reflow the layout.
#2. Implement Edits
Once you have an editable format, you can start making modifications. You may also need to reformat your document if the OCR technology changes the original format. Afterward, you can add or remove text, change font and font color, and proofread any words the OCR misread.
#3. Save Your File
Lastly, you need to save your document by clicking on the File button and then selecting Save. You should choose the location on your drive to save your file and finalize this process. To send it as a PDF, choose Save As and select PDF as the file type.
Using Photoshop
Photoshop may be more suitable for tech-savvy users, but you can still easily edit a scanned document with this program. It works best for one-page, design-heavy fixes, such as a logo, stamp, or a few characters, because it turns the scan into pixels. Photoshop has no OCR, so the text won’t be searchable afterward.
Check the steps on how to edit scanned PDFs in Photoshop below:
#1. Open the Document and Discover the Font
Run the program and drag your file to the box or open it by finding and selecting it on your drive. Then, detect the font of your document using appropriate online software for that purpose. When Photoshop asks, choose the page to import and set the resolution to 300 ppi.
Upload your document to the website and select the part of it with the text you want the software to detect. The automated tools will find your font or similar ones. Font identifier tools such as WhatTheFont can help with this step.
#2. Duplicate Layers and Start Editing
After you discover the text font of your document, you go back to Photoshop, click the layer button on the right, choose the background layer, and duplicate the layers. Then, press the text button in the middle of the toolbar on the left and enter the new text.
Choose the same font as the original file. Select the old text with the Lasso or Rectangular Marquee tool and remove it with Edit, then Content-Aware Fill, so the background stays natural (the Clone Stamp or Healing Brush works well on textured paper). Finally, place your new text in the document area where the old one used to be.
#3. Export as PDF
Choose File, then Save As, and select Photoshop PDF. The result is still an image-based page, so run OCR afterward if you need searchable text.
How to Clean Up a Scanned PDF Before Editing
To clean up a scanned PDF, you can use an online PDF editor such as pdf.net.
Follow these steps to make edits:
- Open the scanned PDF in the editor.
- Use the toolbar at the top of the editor to rotate pages, merge or split the PDF, add images, and more.
- Download or share your document once you're done.
If your scan is a JPG instead of a PDF, convert it first with a JPG to PDF converter, then edit the file.
6 Valuable Tips for Editing Scanned Documents
To edit scanned PDFs and other documents efficiently, you need to pay attention to technical details before and after scanning and editing your files.
Here are six tips on how to edit scanned PDFs successfully:
- Use high-resolution scans for better OCR accuracy. Choosing documents with high resolution enhances the efficiency of the OCR tool regarding text detection and extraction. If you have a low-quality scan, you can improve its quality by rescanning it at 300 DPI, which is the sweet spot for most documents (anything from 200 to 400 DPI works well).
- Optimize the scanned file for clearer text. Enhancer tools allow you to perfect your scanned document by tweaking various parameters such as contrast, brightness, and saturation. This ensures that the text in your document is easily detected and transferred to an editable format. Straighten tilted pages and, for text-only documents, scan in grayscale or black and white.
- Save a backup of the original document. You may need the original document for future reference, including making new edits, sharing, etc. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to keep the original file along with the new ones.
- Proofread the OCR output. Even accurate OCR confuses similar characters, such as 0 and O or 1 and l. Compare names, numbers, and dates with the original image before you share the file.
- Protect sensitive scans. Scanned documents often contain IDs, contracts, or financial details. Use a tool that encrypts uploads, such as pdf.net, which uses secure HTTPS encryption, and add a password before you send the file.
- Utilize advanced OCR tools for complex layouts. Simple OCR tools may detect and extract text, but this process may be incomplete for complex layouts. This is why it’s essential to use high-quality, modern, and advanced OCR technology with the ability to apply the scan on all document parts and extract it with minimum format changes.
Troubleshooting Common Problems When Editing Scanned PDFs
Here are five common issues when editing scanned PDFs and how to fix them:
- The text is garbled or full of errors. Rescan at 300 DPI, improve the contrast, and run OCR again.
- The formatting changed after conversion. Edit the PDF directly instead of converting it, or reformat the text manually in Word or Google Docs.
- The text still isn’t selectable. OCR may not have run on every page. Run it again on the whole file, then test it with Ctrl+F.
- Handwriting isn’t recognized. OCR is built mainly for printed text, so retype the handwritten parts or add new text over them.
- The file is too large or fails to convert. Extract the pages you need and try again.
Final Thoughts
Editing scanned PDFs is helpful for anyone who wants to digitally share, archive, and correct existing physical documents easily. You can ensure the high quality of your document before scanning it or enhance it afterward by rescanning it or using image and text tools.
Although it may be challenging at times, with the right software, such as pdf.net (both for converting your PDF to Word and editing your document), you can streamline this process smoothly. Google Docs is a good choice when you need OCR, while Word and Photoshop cover more specific cases.
How to Edit Scanned PDFs FAQs
#1. Is it possible to edit a scanned PDF document?
It is possible to edit a scanned PDF document using tools such as pdf.net, Microsoft Word, Photoshop, Google Docs, and more. You can also manually convert your PDF file to an editable format before using editing software. Because scanned pages are images, the tool either runs OCR on them or lets you add new text on top.
#2. How do I convert a scanned PDF to editable text?
To convert a scanned PDF to editable text, you should use an OCR tool or a PDF-to-Word converter. Upload your document, click the convert button, and download it once the conversion is complete. To check the result, try selecting or searching the text; if you can, the OCR worked.
#3. How do I convert a scanned PDF to an editable Word?
To convert a scanned PDF to an editable Word document, use a PDF-to-Word converter or an OCR tool first, then open the result in Word. Opening an image-only PDF directly in Word usually just inserts the pages as pictures. Alternatively, upload your file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs, which runs OCR automatically, then choose File, Download, and Microsoft Word (.docx).
Related Articles
How to Make PDFs Searchable: 3+ Simple Methods