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Acrobat for Windows and Mac: Editing PDFs

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How to turn off automatic OCR when editing a scanned document?

I want turn off automatic OCR when I go to edit a scan. Really slowing my project down having to revert to image on every page when all I need to do is rotate pages on the old documents I'm working on.

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Erica Bednarski-Smith shared this idea  ·   ·  Report…  ·  Admin →
Implemented  ·  Bilal Ansari responded  · 

With the latest release, we have added a checkbox that will turn off the automatic OCR.

1. Open any scanned pdf.
2. Go to Edit PDF.
3. Wait for OCR to complete.
4. On the right hand pane, uncheck the “Recognize text” option. (Alternatively, if you see a button ‘Revert to Image’, click on it).

This will turn off the auto-OCR feature. Now, Acrobat will not run OCR automatically. Acrobat remembers this setting so that you do not have to uncheck it again.

Let us know if this helps.
For more information about this, visit https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/edit-scanned-pdfs.html

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  • Rhett commented  ·   ·  Report

    In my situation I was working with a 32 page magazine exported to PDF from InDesign. There are some raster-only ads but it was not a document I wanted OCR to run on but it was doing it for every page.

    Took a couple of tries (at least in part because there is no obvious "switch" or a preference box to change) but the 1-4 steps given given March 27 does seem to work (wish I had the 10+ hours that burned up when I didn't know about the hidden OCR "revert" setting) and I'm not having to wait through that.

    It really should be more obvious and a preference to turn off "automatic OCR" but there are enough other interface issues (like when I use the SHIFT key to try and select a 2nd object to edit with the separations preview panel open it instead engages "comment mode" which is... stupid, but I'm glad I'm not sitting through the OCR anymore.

    Anyway, hopefully others will be able to turn the auto OCR off using the hidden steps provided.

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    I scan some intensive handwritten documents that I DO NOT need OCRed but I am forced to wait for OCR to start and finish before I can tell it to revert to image FOR EACH PAGE! This is a drain on my time and it's ridiculous that this is not optional and something we can turn off until we actually want/need it.

  • Lovekesh garg commented  ·   ·  Report

    Please let us know the exact workflow you are using where Acrobat running OCR.
    If you are opening Edit PDF tool where Acrobat runs OCR, you can change a setting.
    1. Open-File in Acrobat and Go to Tools> "Edit PDF"
    2. If it runs OCR by default, Go to RHP (window on right side of PDF)
    3. There will be a link "Revert to Image" under "Scanned Document" section
    4. Click on this link. It will undo OCR. And now this preference remains sticky. You need not to do these steps again and again. You can also change this preference again whenever you want, by clicking the new link available there "Convert to text".

    If this is not the workflow please share the steps.

  • Rhett commented  ·   ·  Report

    I've turned off "accessibility" feature controls that I can find in preferences with no effect. For Acrobat to even be usable I need it to not help me a bit on recognizing text or reading order or anything else.

  • Lovekesh garg commented  ·   ·  Report

    Once you click on "revert to image" option, it remains sticky. Now onwards you don't need to click it again and again.
    You can revert the settings again when you want.
    Thanks.

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