Fix PDF to Word Converting Text to Images
Question details
Users converting PDF files to Word documents notice that the output text behaves like a non-editable picture rather than standard typed text.
- Product
- PDF Converters
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Converting a PDF that contains scanned content, special symbols, or unusual fonts into an editable Word document.
- Observed behavior
- After conversion, the text cannot be highlighted, deleted, or modified because it is embedded as an image rather than text.
Check the original PDF file to see if the text is selectable. If you cannot highlight words in your PDF viewer, the document is a scanned image and requires OCR before conversion.
Run Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Before Converting
Use the built-in OCR tools in your PDF editor to identify and extract text from scanned images prior to exporting to Word.
When a PDF is created from a scanner, it is essentially a photograph of the document. To convert it into editable text, you must first process the document using OCR technology.
Launch your advanced PDF editor, such as Adobe Acrobat, and open the file you wish to convert.
Navigate to the Tools menu at the top, select Text Recognition, and then choose In This File.
Click OK or Start to begin scanning the document. Wait for the software to analyze and recognize the characters within the file.
Once the OCR process is complete, export the document to Microsoft Word. The exported document should now contain editable text.
Easily Convert Scanned PDFs to Editable Word Documents with WPS Office
WPS Office features a robust PDF to Word converter equipped with advanced OCR technology. It seamlessly extracts text from scanned PDFs, ensuring your converted documents are fully editable while retaining their original formatting.
- 1. Open PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office on your computer and open your scanned PDF document.
- 2. Select PDF to Word: Navigate to the Tools tab and click on the PDF to Word button.
- 3. Enable OCR Settings: In the conversion dialog box, ensure the OCR option is checked so the software knows to scan for image-based text.
- 4. Convert and Edit: Click Start to begin the conversion. The finalized file will automatically open in WPS Writer, ready for your edits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are symbols or musical notes still images after OCR?
Standard OCR engines are optimized to recognize alphabetical and numerical characters. Complex figures, specialized symbols like guitar chords, and mathematical equations often lack suitable font mappings, causing the software to preserve them as images to maintain accuracy.
Does my PDF viewer automatically perform OCR?
Most standard PDF viewers only display files and do not have built-in OCR capabilities. You will need an advanced PDF editor, such as WPS Office Premium or Adobe Acrobat Pro, to perform text recognition before conversion.
Can I request a refund if my PDF software fails to convert properly?
If you are using a premium service like Adobe Acrobat and the OCR functionality does not meet your needs, you can contact their Customer Support team to inquire about your refund options according to their subscription policies.
