PDF edior online for scans: turn page pictures into editable text
To change the words in a scanned PDF with a pdf edior online, open it in Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) and choose Make it editable: optical character recognition (OCR) reads each scanned page and rebuilds it as text boxes and pictures you can change. Make it editable, editing and PDF export are part of the paid plans, and viewing a scan is free.
Scanned PDFs up to 250 MB open in any modern browser.
OCR, editing and export come with a paid plan. Opening and viewing scans is free.
- Scanned pages3 pages
- Make it editable✓ Ready
- Recovered text✓ Ready
What you can do with a scanned PDF online
Read the scan as text
OCR turns the picture of each page into editable text.
Fix the recovered words
Correct names, dates and figures once OCR has read them.
Undo if needed
Make it editable can be undone if the result disappoints.
Type on a blank area
Place a fresh text box on an empty part of the page.
Clean up the pages
Delete a blank scanned page or put pages in order.
Save the fixed scan
Export the corrected pages as a print-ready PDF (paid).
Not sure your PDF is a scan?
Scanned and program-made PDFs need different handling. These pages cover the other cases.
PDF made by a program
PDFs saved from a program usually open as editable text boxes where the layout allows.
Edit a digital PDFDesigned flyers and bulletins
Move text boxes and pictures while keeping a printed design.
Edit a designed PDFCan you edit the text in a scanned PDF online?
Yes, once OCR has read it. A scanned PDF stores each page as a picture, so its words can't be changed until optical character recognition turns them into text. In Publish Media Software (PublishMedia), Make it editable (paid) reads the scan and rebuilds editable text and pictures. Faint or crooked scans may need touch-ups afterward.
Three ways to start with a scanned document
Begin with the scan itself, with a template, or with a clean page if retyping is quicker.
Open the scanned PDF
Drop the scan onto the start screen. Pages arrive as faithful pictures, ready for Make it editable on a paid plan.
Any scan without a password, up to 250 MB
Open a scanRecreate it from a template
Old scanned flyer or form letter? A print-ready template may be a cleaner starting point.
Find a templateRetype on a blank page
For a one-page notice, typing it fresh can beat fixing OCR results.
Open a blank pagePage-editor tools for scanned PDFs
Once OCR has read the scan, these tools help you check and finish each page.
Make it editable
Reads scanned pages with optical character recognition and recovers text boxes and pictures. Paid, and it can be undone.
Import Report
Lists anything worth reviewing after the scan opens, such as a font that was swapped.
Text formatting
Fix the recovered text's font, size, color and highlight so the page reads cleanly.
Page order and size
Delete stray blank scans, reorder pages that went through the scanner backward, and set the page size.
Old scanned flyer? Start a new one instead
If the scan is faded or crooked, a fresh design can look better than any fix.
Flyer, bulletin and program templates
Pick a print-ready layout, drop in the words from your old scan, and export a PDF on a paid plan.
Template types
How to edit a scanned PDF online with OCR
Four steps take a scan from a picture of a page to text you can change.
Open the scan
Sign up at publishmediasoftware.com without a credit card, then drag the scanned PDF onto the start screen. Each page opens as a picture of the page.
Run Make it editable
On a paid plan, choose Make it editable. OCR reads the page and rebuilds it as text boxes and pictures.
Proofread and fix
Read the recovered text against the scan, correct any misread letters or numbers, then change the words you came to change.
Export the edited scan
Check every page in Print Preview, then export a clean, print-ready PDF on your paid plan.
6 ways to edit a scanned PDF
Only tools with OCR can change a scan's words. The rest add text on top or start over.
As of October 2026, changing the words in a scanned PDF requires OCR (optical character recognition), because a scan stores each page as a picture. Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) offers OCR through Make it editable in any modern browser on paid plans of $99 a year or $9.99 a month, and viewing scans is free. Paid Adobe Acrobat also has OCR and edits text in place. Google Docs reads a scan when you open it from Google Drive but loses most of the layout. LibreOffice Draw and Apple's Preview can't change a scan's words and only add text on top.
Publish Media Software (PublishMedia)
Make it editable reads scanned pages with OCR and rebuilds editable text in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux and iPad. OCR and export cost $99 a year or $9.99 a month; viewing is free. Limit: complex layouts may need touch-ups.
Adobe Acrobat
Paid Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro has OCR and edits text and pictures in place, with form and signature tools as well; it runs on Windows, Mac and the web. Limit: OCR and editing need paid Acrobat; the no-cost Reader can't do them.
Google Docs
Using a Google account at no cost, upload the scan to Google Drive and choose Open with › Google Docs, which tries to read the text. Limit: most of the layout and many pictures are lost, and faint scans can come through with errors.
LibreOffice Draw
LibreOffice Draw costs nothing on Windows, Mac and Linux and opens a scanned PDF with a picture on each page. Limit: Draw has no OCR, so you can only place new text boxes on top or retype the page yourself.
Preview on a Mac
Preview, built into every Mac, adds text boxes and white shapes over a scan at no cost. Limit: the scan's own words stay part of the picture, so you're covering them rather than changing them, and anything typed sits on top.
Retype the document
Works in any word processor on a computer or tablet: retype the scan in Google Docs, Microsoft Word or a blank PublishMedia page. Costs only your time. Limit: slow for long documents, and you rebuild the layout yourself.
OCR is part of the paid plans
Scanned PDFs open and display at no charge; free-plan files are deleted after 7 days, and a reminder email arrives first. Make it editable, editing and print-ready PDF export are included in All-Access at $99 a year (Recommended) and Monthly at $9.99, which you can cancel anytime. Both also include every template, saved projects and unlimited storage.
Free Starter
$0
Open and view unlimited Publisher, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and picture files free — stored for 7 days, then deleted automatically. Editing and export are on the paid plans.
Start freeAll-Access
$99/yr
Everything unlocked — full editing, every template in the library, and unlimited storage.
Monthly
$9.99/mo
All the same features, billed monthly — cancel anytime.
Scanned PDF and OCR questions
What is OCR, and why does a scanned PDF need it?+
OCR, short for optical character recognition, is software that looks at a picture of a page and works out which letters and numbers are on it. A scanned PDF stores each page as a photo, so there are no words to edit until OCR turns the picture into real text.
How well does OCR handle an old or faded scan?+
OCR handles an old or faded scan less well than a clean one, because it does best on straight, high-contrast pages of printed type. Faded copies, handwriting, tiny print, stamps and crooked scans produce more misread letters, so proofread the recovered text against the original. Rescanning the paper flat, straight and at a higher resolution is often the quickest way to better results.
What if Make it editable gets some words wrong?+
Click the text box and retype the misread words, the same way you'd fix any other text. If a whole page came out poorly, undo Make it editable to go back to the picture of the page, then rescan the paper or retype that page on a blank page.
Do I need a paid plan to change a scan's words?+
Yes. Opening and viewing scanned PDFs costs nothing, but Make it editable, editing and exporting are part of All-Access at $99 a year (Recommended) or Monthly at $9.99. Monthly suits a one-off project, since you can cancel anytime once your corrected PDF is exported.
Can I use OCR on a PDF I scanned with my phone?+
Yes. A PDF made with a phone scanner, such as the document scanner in the iPhone Notes or Files app, is a scanned PDF like any other. Open it on a computer or iPad, choose Make it editable on a paid plan, and proofread the result; flat, well-lit pages read best.
Is a Google Docs conversion good enough for a scanned letter?+
For a plain one-page letter, often yes: open the scan from Google Drive with Google Docs, which reads the text, correct it, then choose File › Download › PDF Document. Letterheads, logos and layout usually don't survive, so for designed pages use a tool that rebuilds the page, such as PublishMedia or Adobe Acrobat.
Can I black out private details in a scanned PDF?+
Not safely in PublishMedia, which has no redaction feature; a shape placed over text only hides it from view. For true redaction, which permanently removes the hidden content, use a tool built for the job, such as the redaction tools in paid Adobe Acrobat Pro. Another option is to black out the paper copy before you scan it.
Can I turn a scanned paper form into one people can type into?+
Not in PublishMedia, which doesn't create interactive form fields. You can rebuild the form's text with Make it editable and export a clean PDF for people to print and fill in by hand. For a fillable PDF that people type into on screen, use the form tools in paid Adobe Acrobat.
Publisher retires October 2026
Get a short guide to moving off Microsoft Publisher — opening your Publisher files online and creating new documents.