Turn scanned docs into editable text in minutes: Here's how
04 Jul 2025

Converting scanned documents into editable text is a common task for most people and businesses.

It involves converting an image of text into something that can be edited (Word document, plain text file, etc.).

But, thanks to the advancements in technology, it has become a lot easier and quicker to get this job done.

Here's how you can do it.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology
OCR tech

At the core of converting scanned documents to editable text lies Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology.

How it works: OCR software analyzes the shapes of letters/numbers in the image and converts them into the digital text.

The tech has improved tremendously over the years and its accuracy rates are often over 90%.

There are many OCR tools available online, free and paid.

Using mobile apps for conversion
Mobile apps

Mobile apps have made it easy to convert scanned documents on-the-go.

These apps utilize your smartphone's camera to click images of documents and then use OCR technology to convert them into editable formats.

Popular apps provide features like batch processing, cloud storage integration, and support for multiple languages. They make for versatile tools for personal or professional use.

Desktop software solutions
Desktop software

For those who prefer working on a computer, desktop software solutions offer robust options to convert documents.

These programs often come with advanced features like batch processing of multiple files at once, high accuracy levels owing to powerful algorithms, and integration with other office software suites.

Some popular desktop solutions also come with additional functionalities like PDF editing or file format conversion.

Online conversion tools
Online tools

Online conversion tools provide a quick solution without any downloads or installations.

Users just need to upload their scanned document files on these platforms, where they are processed with the help of server-side OCR engines and returned as editable text files via download links or email attachments.

Although convenient for occasional use or small-scale tasks (access from any device with internet), privacy issues may arise when dealing with sensitive information through third-party services online.