Using OCR in Adobe Export PDF, Document Cloud, Reader

Adobe Export PDF is an online Adobe Document Cloud service. With it, you can easily convert PDF files into editable Word, Excel, or RTF (Rich Text Format) documents.

You cannot edit PDF files with Adobe Export PDF. You need Acrobat DC to edit PDF files. See Acrobat product page.

Adobe Export PDF supports optical character recognition, or OCR, when you convert a PDF file to Word (.doc and .docx), Excel (.xlsx), or RTF (rich text format). OCR is the conversion of images of text (scanned text) into editable characters, so that you can search, correct, and copy the text.

When OCR is enabled, Adobe Export PDF performs OCR on PDF files that contain images, vector art, hidden text, or a combination of these elements. (For example, Adobe Export PDF performs OCR on PDF files created from scanned documents.) Adobe Export PDF also performs OCR on text that it can't interpret because the text was encoded incorrectly in the source application.

Adobe Export PDF supports the following languages for OCR:

By default, OCR uses the language selected in the My Information dialog box. The OCR engine uses the selected language to interpret the scanned text. Selecting the correct language improves the accuracy of the conversion, as the OCR engine uses language-specific dictionaries for conversion. For non-Latin languages like Japanese, the OCR engine cannot interpret and convert the text unless you've selected the appropriate language.

To perform OCR when you convert a PDF file in Adobe ExportPDF, do the following:

Click Choose Files from My Computer and browse to your PDF. Also, you can drag a file on the pane. For selecting a file from Document Cloud, click Document Cloud in the left pane and then select your file.

NOTE: You can select multiple files for export.

Export PDF Web Interface

In the Convert To drop-down list, select the format to which you want to export the PDF.

In the Document Language drop-down list, select an appropriate document language for text recognition.

Click the Export to <format> button for exporting the content.

Once the file is converted, you see a confirmation prompt with the link to open or download the converted file.

Open the PDF you want to convert, and then click Adobe Export PDF in the right pane.

Check the document language recognized just above the Convert button - Document Language: <language selected>. If the language selected is correct, go to the next step.

Otherwise to change the language selected:

i.) Click Change.