When language selection matters most
These are the exact problems people search for — and language choice is often the hidden reason.
- OCR results look “wrong” or miss accents (é, ñ, ç) — language mismatch is a common reason
- Ctrl+F still doesn’t find expected words — PDF may be scanned or OCR language was incorrect
- Copy/paste output has broken spacing — scan quality + language selection matters
- Mixed-language PDFs (e.g., English + French) — you need a primary language strategy
How to choose the best OCR language (fast rules)
Rule #1: Pick the main language on the page
If 80% of the page is French, select French. OCR engines use language-specific patterns and dictionaries; the wrong one reduces accuracy.
Rule #2: If it’s mixed, choose the dominant language
For bilingual pages, choose the language that appears most. Mixed-language OCR works best when one language clearly dominates.
Rule #3: If results are messy, fix the scan first
Low DPI, blur, skew, and shadows hurt OCR more than anything. Straighten, increase clarity, and re-run OCR.
Quick validation (to know OCR worked)
- After OCR, you should be able to select a single word.
- Ctrl+F should find words that were previously “unsearchable”.
- Copy/paste should produce readable output (not blank).
- If it’s still unsearchable, the PDF may be protected or scan quality may be too low.
FAQs
Which OCR languages do you support?
Right now we support English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian. Choose the closest match to your document’s main language for best accuracy.
Does choosing the OCR language really matter?
Yes. OCR engines use language-specific rules and dictionaries/models. Selecting the correct language can noticeably improve recognition accuracy—especially for accents and non-English text.
What if my PDF has multiple languages?
Choose the dominant language (the one that appears most on the page). If it’s heavily mixed, consider OCRing in the primary language and then re-check key lines manually.
Why is my OCR output missing accents (é, ñ, ç)?
This is often a language mismatch or low-quality scan issue. Select the correct language and ensure the scan is sharp (higher DPI, less blur, no shadows).
Ctrl+F still doesn’t work after OCR — why?
Either the PDF is still image-only (OCR didn’t add a text layer), the file is protected, or the scan quality is too low. Try “Make PDF searchable” again and verify you can select a single word afterward.
My PDF is long and there’s a page limit. What should I do?
Split the PDF into smaller files (keep only the pages you need) and OCR those smaller parts.
Run OCR in the correct language — get cleaner results
Pick the main language of your document and convert scans into searchable PDFs.
Make PDF searchable