OCR or Optical Character Recognition is the process of text character recognition by computers. The process is carried out using scanning of the text character wise and then analyzing the scanned image. The final stage is the translation of the character image to codes like ASCII. Use of OCR scanner software can help reduce the time and effort input in typing, editing and reproducing the text prints. Various top six free OCR scan software could help choose the right one for your purpose.

Paper Scanner Software

Paper Scan Software is based on the idea of making document acquisition extremely easy and convenient for the user. Apart from OCR, it helps annotations and color detection. Besides regular versions this OCR scanner software, free download is available.

Simple OCR

Simple OCR is free optical character recognition software and API for conversion of scanned images to user-friendly editable format such as the Microsoft Word. This OCR scanner software, free download is available on the website of the provider.

Top 10 PDF Editor Mac 1. PDFelement for Mac is a PDF solution that integrates with a variety of convenient and practical features for editing, conversion, annotation, OCR, form processing, and digital signatures. We spent some time playing around with different OCR software, trying to figure out the best OCR software for Mac and Windows. ABBYY FineReader 15 is an OCR app that finds its way on the top of our list. It is old and reliable — it has been around for 26 years, so you can imagine all the support and popularity it has got. Cisdem PDF Converter OCR for Mac v.7.0.0 OCR PDF Converter comes with OCR technology to convert native and scanned PDF to Word, Text, Excel, PPT, ePub, HTML, Text, Rtfd, Pages, Keynote, and image documents. Free OCR Scanning v.3.1 FreeOCR is a totaly free Scanning and OCR program it very accurate and can OCR PDF files.

OCR Software

OCR Software is a Windows-based program for optical character recognition and is simple to use. It supports all types of scanned documents. You can use the OCR software, free download for converting images and PDF into texts.

Brief introduction of Easy Screen OCR for both Windows and Mac. Easy Screen OCR is integrated with the cutting-edge Google OCR engine technology and it can convert any images/screenshots into editable text. Next, you can edit, format, and re-use the extracted texts for your own use. ExactScan is one of the best scanning software for Mac that has the capacity to scan about 200 documents and is compatible with other scanners. Besides, this software, launched by ExactCode, is free and easy to function. Features to look for: ExactScan allows you to store and scan over 200 documents.

Free Ocr Software For Mac Os X

Other Platforms

All the three software described above are based on compatibility with the Windows operating system. However, the growing use of smartphone and mobile devices has also prompted the providers to opt for mobile operating system compatibility for their software; especially Android operating system. Some companies are also trying to develop OCR software that is platform independent. There are also OS specific OCR software, free download available for Android, Windows, and Mac Operating Systems.

Text Fairy for Android

Text Fairy is basically designed for Android operating system and it can easily convert images into text for editing. It can also convert scanned pages into PDF and supports free OCR scan.

Scanning OCR Software for Windows

Scanning OCR Software is basically designed for Windows Operating System. This is OCR software, free download and it can open and convert most images and PDF files into text documents that are editable.

OCR Scanner Software for Mac

OCR Scanners Software is primarily designed for Mac operating system. Using advanced technologies it can open and convert all image and PDF files into image documents. OCR free scan feature is available with the software.

Chronoscan – Most Popular Software

Chronoscan is extremely effective for processing documents and extracting data. It is fast, accurate, as well as flexible. The software can easily convert scanned images and PDF files into word documents and it becomes convenient editing of the documents. Free OCR scan feature is available with this software. The best part of it is that the software can be customized according to requirements of the end user. You can also see Scanner Software

How To Install OCR Software?

There are different versions of OCR software, free downloads available in the industry. The system requirements for installing the software depends on the version chosen for downloading and installing. However, common requirements would be enough primary memory in the range of 1 GB and at least 20 MB of free disk space. You need to log on to the provider website and download the software if system compatibility is there. It is only a matter of following the installation instructions displayed on the site. You can also see Flatbed Scanner software

In the past, documents were scanned but they could not be manipulated as they were only image representation of original text. The advent of OCR scanning software and technology has made it possible to edit, change, and manipulate scanned documents. Free OCR scan performed with different software can easily determine their relative efficiency and speed and save time, effort, and money for the enterprise by choosing the best.

Sometimes, we need to extract the content from the scanned PDF files to text, and that's when PDF to text OCR functionality comes in very handy. OCR acronym for Optical Character Recognition. Many PDF programs come with the OCR feature, which makes scanned PDF documents searchable and editable.

If it's your very first time looking for the best free PDF OCR solution out there, we can understand how challenging it can be. But no worries!! This post will introduce the top free PDF OCR tools and how to OCR a PDF on Windows and Mac.

Best Free PDF OCR Software for Windows and Mac

There is abundant third-party software on Windows and Mac. Come and find the best tool for you to OCR a PDF.

EaseUS PDF Editor

EaseUS PDF Editor is an excellent PDF OCR software. This program can recognize and convert image-based PDF to an editable format and accurately detect and convert as many as 29 languages, such as English, French, German, Japanese, etc.

What's more, this Windows PDF editor enables you to edit and manage your PDF files like below:

• Insert, delete, reorder, extract, crop, or rotate PDF pages with ease
• Add comment, lines, or highlight PDF documents
• Add or remove password from PDF
• Sign your PDF effortlessly

Want to explore more information? Just click the below button to get it. And there is a tutorial that guides you to OCR a PDF using this tool, and you can follow it to use the OCR feature easily.

Step 1. Click Create and choose From file from the top left corner

If you want to OCR from an existing PDF file, click from the File option on the top left corner to start the process.

Step 2. Click OCR on the toolbar

After clicking OCR on the menu, select the language, then wait for a couple of seconds.

Step 3. Edit your PDF as you wish

You can use crop, rotate, combine, etc. features according to your needs. There are several features, and it allows you to manage this process easily and effortlessly.

Step 4. Click Save to keep the changes

When you are finished with editing, click save to keep the changes. You can also click save as and type a new file name if you want to keep the old version unchanged.

Adobe Acrobat DC

With its OCR functionality, you can easily convert your scanned PDFs or images into editable and searchable documents. It can perform OCR on PDFs that contain vector art, images, hidden text, or a blend of these elements.

Above all, the OCR tool in Adobe Acrobat DC offers many editing features, including text recognition, combining files, adding comments, and more.

Pros:

• Support cutting and pasting the text into other apps
• Work with many languages
• Accurately match fonts
• A free trial is available

Cons:

• Lots of features can overwhelm beginners

URL: https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/how-to/ocr-software-convert-pdf-to-text.html

PDF OCR X

You can also count on PDF OCR X to help you convert scanned PDF documents into searchable PDFs or text documents with ease. It comes with advanced OCR functionality to extract the text from PDFs, even if it is in an image.

Above all, this PDF OCR-free solution is exclusively designed to handle PDFs created using a scan-to-PDF tool.

Pros:

• Drag and drop functionality to upload documents
• Able to convert PDFs to both text or searchable PDFs
• Support JPEG, PNG, BMP, and more image formats
• Support more than 60 languages

Cons:

• Lack editing features

URL: https://solutions.weblite.ca/pdfocrx/index.php

Readiris

When looking for a PDF to Word OCR solution, Readris serves the purpose best. Supporting both Windows and Mac, the tool can convert PDFs, texts, and images in a scanned document to modify in the format of your preference, including Word.

Its new added features such as a new recognition engine, new user interface, and faster document management make it even more remarkable as a PDF OCR solution or even more.

Pros:

• Various editing features are available
• User-friendly interface
• Open files faster

Cons:

• Lack a forever-free version

URL: https://www.irislink.com/zh-Hans-chn/c1810/IRIS---The-World-leader-in-OCR--PDF-and-Portable-scanner.aspx?

PDFMate PDF Converter

PDFMate PDF Converter entails advanced OCR technology that can help you convert PDFs to editable documents without any hassle. You can extract images and text from image-based PDFs and convert them into selectable and editable text or work files.

Besides the OCR functionality, the software has so much to offer, such as merging and creating PDF, encrypted converted files, customizing layout, and more.

Pros:

• Convert scanned documents to editable ones with OCR
• Support converting PDF to TXT, DOC, and other formats
• Add permission password to documents
• Simple and easy to use

Cons:

• Some crash problems during conversion processes

URL: https://www.pdfmate.com/pdf-converter-free.html

Best 3 Free PDF OCR Online Tools

For those who aren't willing to download software on the computer, the online OCR tools in this section may be the best choices.

OnlineOCR.net

Suppose you don't want to install any program on your system for PDF to word OCR, no worries. With OnlineOCR.net, you can get the job done without installing any tool on your computer. It can recognize characters and text from scanned PDF and convert them into the editable doc format.

It is a completely free PDF OCR online service that even comes with a guest mode, which implies there is no need to register to use it.

Pros:

• Support converting scanned PDFs to editable DOC format
• Work even without registration
• Convert PDF to Word, text, or excel format
• Support many languages

Cons:

• Support file size maximum up to 15 MB

URL: https://www.onlineocr.net/

ABBYY FineReader Online

ABBYY FineReader Online is another online OCR tool designed to help scan and convert PDF documents into Word and many other editable formats. It even supports import and export documents to cloud storage services such as OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox.

The tool will keep converted files in the cloud for around 14 days, giving you enough time to download and share your files during the period.

Pros:

• Support many input and output file formats
• Export a converted document to popular cloud storage services
• Easy to use
• Able to convert scanned PDF to text OCR

Cons:

• Require registration

URL: https://finereaderonline.com/en-us/Tasks/Create

PDF2Go

PDF2Go is also an amazing PDF OCR online tool you can use to convert scanned files to text so that you can edit with ease. You can drag and drop your file or upload it from cloud storage. With PDF2Go, you don't have to copy the text manually, as this PDF OCR free tool will handle this job for you.

Above all, it works with all web browsers out there.

Pros:

• Convert scanned documents to word with OCR
• Support both DOC & DOCX and text format
• Work on a smartphone as well
• No registration is required

Cons:

• Lack support for uploading a file from the OneDrive service

URL: https://www.pdf2go.com/pdf-to-word

How to OCR a PDF?

As mentioned above, we'll help you learn how to OCR a PDF on Windows and Mac, and it's time. We will use Adobe Acrobat DC to walk you through how to OCR a scanned PDF to have an editable copy of your document.

Step 1. In Adobe Acrobat for PC or Mac, open your scanned PDF file.

Step 2. Tap 'Edit PDF' in the right place. The Adobe Acrobat will automatically perform OCR to your file and make it editable.

Step 3. Tap the text element you would like to edit and begin typing.

Step 4. Finally, select 'File' > 'Save As' and enter a new name for your editable file.

Conclusion

That's all on PDF OCR free tools. We have covered tools that really help to OCR a PDF to word or text on Windows and Mac with ease.

It's time for you to make a selection. Our advice is to pick EaseUS PDF Editor to get the job done.

Mac Os Ocr

Free PDF OCR Solutions FAQs

If you still have problems with the PDF OCR feature, those FAQs may help you.

1. How to OCR my PDF to word?

For PDF to word OCR, all you need to do is upload your scanned PDF document and choose the output file format as Word/DOC/DOCX while using any PDF OCR tool.

Free Ocr Reader For Mac

2. How to OCR my PDF to editable text?

Like PDF to word OCR, you need to select an output file format as .txt while using any PDF OCR tool to PDF to text OCR.

3. How to OCR my PDF to Excel?

Free Ocr Program Windows 10

The best way to OCR your PDF to excel is to use an online OCR service like ABBYY FineReader Online. It will provide you with an option to choose '.xlsx' as your output format.