What you can do with a scanned document depends on how it was created

A scanned document is a photograph of a piece of paper, not editable text. If you scanned a form or letter and want to change the words, you have three real options: convert it to editable text using optical character recognition (OCR), edit it as an image, or retype the content into a fresh document. Which one works depends on what you scanned, how clean the scan is, and what you need to change.

The fastest route for most people is OCR, which reads the image and turns it into words you can select and edit like any other document. But OCR works best on clean, straight scans of printed text — handwriting, faded documents, and crooked pages confuse it. If your scan is messy or you only need to mark it up with notes and highlights, editing it as an image is simpler and faster.

Key Takeaways

  • OCR software converts a scanned image into editable text, but it works best on clean, printed documents and makes mistakes on handwriting or poor-quality scans.
  • Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and free tools like Tesseract can all perform OCR, though Word and Google Docs are the easiest for most people.
  • If you only need to add notes, highlights, or signatures to a scanned document, editing it as an image in Preview (Mac) or Paint (Windows) is faster than OCR.
  • OCR accuracy depends on scan quality — straight pages, dark text, and no shadows or creases produce the best results.
  • After OCR converts your document, you should read through it and fix any words the software misread before saving or sharing it.

Using OCR in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word has built-in OCR that works on Windows and Mac. Open Word, go to File > Open, and select your scanned image file. Word will ask if you want to convert the image to editable text — click Use OCR. The software reads the image and creates a new document with the text it found.

The conversion usually takes a few seconds. When it finishes, you can select, edit, and format the text like any other Word document. Read through the entire document and fix any words that were misread — OCR often confuses the letter O with the number 0, or the letter l with the number 1, especially in tables or forms. Once you have corrected the mistakes, save the document as a .docx file so you can edit it again later if needed.

Word's OCR works on images in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, and several other languages. If your document is in a language Word does not support, you will need a different tool.

Using OCR in Google Docs

Google Docs also has free OCR built in. Upload your scanned image to Google Drive, right-click it, and select Open with > Google Docs. Google will convert the image to a document and open it in your browser. Like Word, it reads the image and creates editable text, though the accuracy is similar — you will still need to check for mistakes.

Google Docs saves your document automatically to your Drive, so you do not have to save it manually. You can edit it on any device with internet access, and you can share it with others by clicking the Share button. If you need a copy on your computer, read it as a Word file (.docx) or PDF by going to File > read.

Google Docs OCR works in the same languages as Word and is free if you have a Google account. The main trade-off is that your document lives in the cloud rather than on your computer, which some people prefer and others do not.

Editing a scanned document as an image

If you only need to add notes, highlight text, or sign a scanned document, converting it to editable text is unnecessary work. Instead, open the image in an image editor and mark it up directly.

On a Mac, right-click the scanned image and select Open With > Preview. Click the Markup Toolbar button (it looks like a toolbox) to see drawing and annotation tools. You can highlight text, draw boxes or arrows, add text boxes, or sign the document with your trackpad or mouse. On Windows, open the image in Paint and use the drawing tools in the ribbon at the top.

This approach is faster than OCR if you are only adding a signature, checking boxes, or writing notes in the margins. Save the edited image when you are done. If you need to send it to someone else, you can email it as a PDF or image file without any conversion step.

Improving OCR accuracy before you convert

OCR works better on some scans than others. Before you convert a document, check whether the scan is straight, dark enough to read, and free of shadows or creases. If your scan is crooked, blurry, or faint, OCR will make more mistakes.

If you scanned the document yourself, rescan it and try again. Hold the paper flat and straight on the scanner glass, use the highest resolution your scanner offers (300 dpi is standard for documents), and make sure the lighting is even so there are no dark shadows. If the original document is faded or printed in light gray, darken it slightly before scanning — most scanner software has a brightness or contrast slider.

If you received a scanned document from someone else and it is poor quality, ask them to rescan it. A better scan will save you time correcting OCR mistakes later.

Fixing OCR mistakes

After OCR converts your document, read through it carefully and fix any words the software misread. Common mistakes include confusing similar letters (O and 0, l and 1, S and 5), misreading handwritten notes in margins, and breaking words across lines incorrectly.

Use the Find and Replace feature to fix repeated mistakes quickly. In Word, press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Cmd+H (Mac) to open Find and Replace. Type the word OCR got wrong in the Find field and the correct word in the Replace field, then click Replace All. This is especially useful if OCR consistently misread a name or technical term throughout the document.

For Google Docs, use Ctrl+H (Windows) or Cmd+H (Mac) to open Find and Replace as well. The process is the same — type the wrong word, the correct word, and click Replace All.

When to use free OCR software instead

If you do not have Microsoft Word or a Google account, or if you need to process many documents at once, free OCR software like Tesseract or Adobe's free online OCR tool may be useful. Tesseract is a command-line tool that requires some technical knowledge to install and run. Adobe's online OCR tool is simpler — upload your image, and it converts it to a PDF or Word file you can read.

These tools work similarly to Word and Google Docs OCR but may be slower or less accurate depending on your document. They are worth trying if the built-in options do not work for you, but for most people, Word or Google Docs is the easiest starting point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can OCR read handwriting?

Most OCR software, including Word and Google Docs, struggles with handwriting and makes many mistakes. If your document contains handwritten notes, you may need to retype those sections manually or use specialized handwriting recognition software. For documents that are mostly printed with a few handwritten notes, OCR the printed text and then type or photograph the handwritten parts separately.

What if OCR does not recognize any text?

This usually means the scan is too blurry, too dark, or the text is too small. Try rescanning the document at a higher resolution (300 dpi or more) and with better lighting. If the original document is faded or in a language OCR does not support, you may need to retype the content manually.

Can I edit a scanned document without converting it to text?

Yes. Open the scanned image in Preview (Mac) or Paint (Windows) and use the drawing and text tools to add notes, signatures, or highlights directly to the image. This is faster than OCR if you only need to mark up the document rather than change the actual text.

Does OCR work on documents with multiple columns or tables?

OCR can read tables and columns, but it often misaligns the text or breaks the formatting. After conversion, you may need to manually fix the layout or retype the table in a proper format. For documents with complex layouts, editing as an image and adding your own text boxes may be faster.

Is the OCR in Word or Google Docs free?

Yes. Word's OCR is included with Microsoft 365 or the free online version of Word. Google Docs OCR is free if you have a Google account. Both tools convert unlimited documents at no cost.