Common French OCR problems (and what they mean)
These are the exact issues that usually indicate an image-only scan or a language mismatch.
- Ctrl+F doesn’t find words in your French PDF (the file is image-only)
- You can’t select text — the page behaves like a picture
- Copy/paste gives blanks or broken characters
- Accents are missing or wrong (often caused by wrong OCR language or low-quality scans)
How to OCR a French PDF (3 steps)
1) Upload your French PDF (or scan)
Upload a scanned PDF (image-only) or a photo-based document. If the file is long, split it into smaller parts first.
2) Select French as the OCR language
Choose French to improve recognition of accents and French words. If your document is bilingual, pick the dominant language on the page.
3) Run OCR and download a searchable PDF (or extract text)
After OCR, you should be able to select words and search with Ctrl+F. Download your searchable PDF or copy extracted text.
Quick checks (to confirm OCR worked)
- Try selecting a single word — if it highlights, OCR created a text layer.
- Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) and search a visible French word.
- Copy/paste a paragraph into a text editor — accents should remain readable.
- If results are messy: re-scan at higher quality (sharper image, less skew/shadow) and retry.
What do you want to do with the French text?
Extract French text only
Copy/paste the text without changing the PDF.
OpenMake French PDF searchable
Add an invisible text layer so Ctrl+F works.
OpenConvert to Word (editable)
Best for rewriting French paragraphs and formatting.
OpenNeed to edit the final document? Use Edit PDF text after OCR (or export to Word first if you need heavy editing).
FAQs
What is “OCR French”?
OCR French means extracting French text from scanned images or PDFs. OCR adds a searchable text layer beneath scanned pages so you can search, select, and copy the French text.
Does choosing French as the OCR language really help?
Yes. Language selection often improves accuracy because OCR uses language-specific rules and dictionaries/models—especially important for French accents and common French words.
Can OCR keep French accents like é, è, ê, ç, à?
Often yes—if the scan is clear and you choose French as the OCR language. Blurry scans, skew, low resolution, or heavy compression can still reduce accuracy.
My French PDF is scanned and Ctrl+F doesn’t work. Why?
Many scanned PDFs contain only page images (no real text). Ctrl+F can’t search images until OCR creates a text layer. Run OCR, then try selecting a single word to confirm it worked.
My PDF is too long and there’s a page limit. What should I do?
Split the PDF into smaller files and OCR only the pages you need (for example the pages with French text).
Do you also convert French scanned PDFs to Word or Excel?
Yes — for editable output, use Scanned PDF to Word (OCR) or Scanned PDF to Excel (OCR). OCR is the recognition step; conversion uses OCR results to create editable files.
OCR your French PDF in minutes
Make scans searchable and extract French text while keeping accents readable.
Start French OCR