How to convert pictures and batch scans into Word

Key points of this article

There is no selectable text in the scanned image. OCR recognition must be performed first. If you directly export it to Word, you will only get one image.
When multiple pictures belong to the same document, merge them into one PDF first, so that page order and subsequent verification are easier.
It is recommended to process multiple unrelated scans one by one, name each copy separately, and export them to Word separately.
After exporting, focus on checking numbers, dates, amounts and tables. Machine recognition can easily misidentify similar glyphs.
When choosing a free online tool, look at file size limits, watermarks, privacy notices, and formatting preservation.

Many people have a photo of a contract taken with their mobile phone, or a stack of scanned paper materials, and want to change the text inside into an editable Word document. If you directly change the suffix of the picture or paste it into Word as a whole, you will still get a picture that cannot be searched, modified, or quoted. The key to converting scanned images into Word is to first recognize the text and then retain the paragraphs and tables.

This article is for anyone who needs to process a single photo, multiple scanned pages, or multiple scans. After reading this, you will be able to determine which route your file should take, know how to complete OCR and export in the OmniDoc desktop client, and know where to check after getting the Word file.

The following will first give the conclusion, and then explain the preparation work, operating steps and verification methods. Finally, add the criteria for selecting free online tools.

How to convert scanned pictures into Word? One sentence conclusion

The general route for converting scanned images into Word is: first unify them into PDF, then do OCR to recognize the text, and finally export it to Word and check it. Only when the file is already a PDF that can select text, it can be exported directly, skipping OCR.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
A document photo taken with a mobile phone	First convert to PDF, use desktop client OCR and then export to Word	Photos do not have a text layer, only OCR can get editable text
Multiple scanned images of the same document	First merge into one PDF, unify OCR and then export	The page sequence is concentrated in one file, and you only need to open one copy for verification.
Several unrelated scans	Process each copy individually, name each copy separately and export it to Word	After merging, page numbers and file names are easily confused and difficult to correspond to the originals.
Already a text version PDF	Export directly to Word without OCR	The text already exists. Recognizing it again may introduce new errors.
Only convert once, not many files	Either the online conversion website or the desktop client can be used, please confirm the restrictions first.	For occasional use, it is more important to pay attention to file size limits, watermarks, and privacy notices

Before you start: Confirm these points first

Spend two or three minutes to confirm the following items before starting to avoid rework.

Confirm whether it is an image file. Open the PDF and try to select a piece of text with the mouse. If it cannot be selected, or if it is copied with garbled characters, it means that it is essentially a picture and requires OCR.
Check picture quality. Pictures with even lighting, flat pages, and clear text edges have significantly better recognition results. If there are shadows, skewed or blurred text when shooting, recognition errors will increase, and the workload of subsequent verification will also increase.
Confirm language and layout. Whether it is written in Chinese, English or mixed, and whether there are tables, columns, headers and footers will all affect the focus of verification. Tables and multi-column pages are easily misaligned after exporting.
Consider the sensitivity of the material. For contracts, medical records, financial information, etc., please read the privacy statement of the website clearly before uploading it. If you can handle it in a controllable environment, try not to upload it to unfamiliar websites at will.
Number the files in advance. Name the pictures according to page numbers, such as 01, 02, 03, in a unified format. The pages are in clear order so that they won't be messed up when merged and checked later.

Steps to convert scanned images to Word in OmniDoc desktop client

The following takes "a multi-page scan" as an example. If you only have one photo, just skip step 2.

Organize materials. Name the pictures by page number and check whether each page is complete and whether there are any missing pages.
Combine pictures into PDF. Multiple images need to be combined into one PDF first. This can be done with the help of the built-in functions of the operating system or a general image to PDF tool, and be careful to keep the page number order.
Import PDF. Download the OmniDoc desktop client from the official website and open the newly generated PDF file.
Perform OCR recognition. Use the OCR function in the PDF editor to recognize text on scanned pages. After the recognition is complete, the text will become content that can be selected and edited.
Check and adjust the page. Check page by page to see if the page order is correct. If there are pages that are upside down or lying sideways, use the rotation function to correct them; redundant pages can be deleted, and pages in the wrong order can be rearranged.
Export to Word. Choose to export to Word format and save locally.
Open the Word file and check page by page. Check the text, numbers and tables against the original drawings. See the next section for specific methods.
Process other files. If there are other unrelated scans, repeat the above steps. Name each file separately and export it separately. Do not merge them into the same Word.

Check each item after completion

OCR solves the problem of "recognizing text". Whether paragraphs, tables and layouts can be restored completely requires manual confirmation. When checking, read the following check items one by one.

Check items	How to see	What to do if there is a problem
Whether the text is complete or not	Check the original image paragraph by paragraph, especially the paragraph at the end of each page.	Missing words are mostly related to blurry or shadowed images. Go back to the OCR step and re-shoot if necessary.
Number, date, amount	Check against the original one by one	Similar glyphs are easily recognized, such as 8 and 3, 0 and O, and important numbers must be confirmed manually.
Table structure	Check whether the rows and columns are aligned and whether the contents of the cell are misplaced.	Adjust the table manually in Word, or copy only critical data to the new table
Page order and number of pages	Compare the original page number and check if there are any missing or duplicate pages	Go back to PDF to adjust the page order, delete the excess pages and re-export.
Paragraphs and headings	See if the title level is clear and whether the paragraph has been mistakenly cut.	Merge or split paragraphs in Word to unify the heading style
File name and correspondence	Can each Word correspond to the original?	Rename according to the original number to avoid not finding it after filing

# Core comparison: what are several conversion methods suitable for?

Mode	An appropriate situation	Need to pay attention to
Type again manually	The number of pages is small and the content is short.	It takes a long time and is easy to miss words, so it is suitable as a supplementary means of checking.
Online conversion website	Occasionally convert one or two insensitive documents	Pay attention to file size restrictions, watermarking, privacy policies, and whether forms can be retained
Export Word after desktop client OCR	Multi-page scanning parts, need to retain layout, material is more important	It still needs to be checked item by item, and the complex layout may need to be adjusted manually.

# frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. Can the photos taken by mobile phone be directly OCR?

It is recommended to convert the photo to PDF before OCR. When shooting, the page is as flat as possible and the light is uniform; if the photo is placed horizontally or upside down, use the rotation function to correct before export, the recognition effect will be more stable.

2. How to choose a free online conversion site?

Focus on four aspects: whether the file size limit meets your needs, whether the export result is watermarked, whether the privacy description is clear, typesetting and whether the form can be retained. Do not upload all sensitive materials at once to try, first test the effect with a non-sensitive file.

3. The format of the scanned piece is messed up after it is transferred to Word. What should I do?

OCR mainly solves the problem of character recognition, but it is difficult to completely restore complex columns, multi-layer tables and mixed arrangement of picture and text. In this case, first make sure that the text content is correct, and then adjust the format paragraph by paragraph in Word, you don't have to be exactly the same as the original.

4. Can dozens of documents be transferred all at once?

The practice introduced in this article is to deal with it one by one. If multiple documents belong to the same theme, they can be merged into a single PDF unified identification, and then exported and then split by page or saved separately by file. Unrelated documents are recommended to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis to avoid mixing.

5. Can the recognized text be directly used in formal situations?

It is not recommended to use it without checking. Contracts, financial statements, medical records and other important contents must be confirmed item by item against the original, especially the amount, date and number.

# Summary

The core of converting a scanned picture into Word is three steps: unifying it into PDF, doing OCR identification, and checking item by item after export. Multiple scanned pieces are processed separately according to documents, and the page order and naming will be much clearer. Go through the checklist in section 2, and the document can be safely used for subsequent editing.

Open OmniDoc to identify and translate scanned parts