Edit text in a scanned document
A scan can contain selectable text, an OCR layer or only a page image. Check one page to see whether you need editing, OCR or a new layout.
Identify the page type
A digital PDF stores text and drawing objects. Search for a word, select a sentence and paste it into a text field. If selection follows the words, the page contains digital text; if the whole page behaves like one image, it is an image-only scan.
A searchable scan keeps the page image and adds an OCR text layer. Search and copy may work even though the visible words are not directly editable. Test several pages because OCR can be incomplete or offset.
- Digital PDF: selectable text and separate page objects.
- Searchable scan: page image with an OCR text layer.
- Image-only scan: one or more page images without searchable text.
Understand what OCR changes
OCR predicts characters from page pixels. It does not restore the original fonts, columns, table relationships, form fields, reading order or editable layout.
Document reconstruction combines recognised text with layout and geometry to create positioned digital objects. Use it when the page must become editable, and compare uncertain regions with the source.
Choose the required output
For search or copy, add an OCR text layer. To correct selectable text, edit the existing PDF objects. To make an image-only page editable, use OCR with layout reconstruction and inspect the output against the source.
Forms, tables, handwriting, musical notation, maps and historical print require specialist handling. Preserve the page image when the available workflow cannot recover its structure.
- Search or copy: add an OCR layer and check the text.
- Correct selectable text: edit existing PDF objects.
- Rebuild an image-only page: use OCR and layout reconstruction.
- Remove sensitive content with permanent redaction, not a white rectangle.
Work from a copy
Keep the source file unchanged. Edit a copy and export to a new filename. If an edited page must be flattened, check that hidden searchable text does not retain wording that was removed or redacted.
For confidential files, check whether the editor works on the device or uploads the document, and use a workflow approved for the material.
Check the exported file
Open the exported file in another PDF reader. Compare names, numbers, dates, punctuation, paragraph order, page size and line breaks with the source. Search for key terms, copy a sample paragraph and inspect tables and signatures for clipping.
Check search, copy and reading order as well as page appearance. Legal, financial, archival and accessibility work requires both visual and machine-readable review.
Review complex pages
For tables, forms, handwriting, diagrams and multi-column pages, check row alignment, field labels and reading order. A plain-text export does not preserve layout relationships.
For legal, financial or archival work, have another person check critical names, dates, amounts and clauses.
Official sources
Sources checked on 14 August 2026 for the technical and procedural details cited in this guide.