Believe it or not, some people still print documents on physical paper. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software takes those paper documents and converts them back to machine-readable text. We have found some of the best free OCR tools. Free vs. Paid OCR Software:Microsoft OneNote and Nuance OmniPage Free vs. Paid OCR Software:Microsoft OneNote and Nuance OmniPage OCR scanner software compared lets you convert text into images or editable PDF text documents. Is a free OCR tool like OneNote good enough? Let's find out! Read more and compare them for yourself here.
No OCR program is perfect, so you'll need to verify the results and troubleshoot. However, it is much faster than typing the entire document on the computer. Each of these free OCR software tools has its own strengths. They will all do the job.
To compare these tools, I took a screenshot of MakeUseOf's Privacy page and saved it as a JPG file.
I then used that JPG to test the following OCR services.
However, you can also scan a paper document if that's what you want to edit.
If you go that route, it will work best if the page features common fonts, like Times New Roman or Arial. Also, make sure the image is face up before scanning. Aim for scanned material with a file size of less than 2MB, too.
Now, let's dig into!
Google Drive has built-in OCR support. It relies on the same OCR engine that Google uses to scan books and understand the text in PDF files.
To get started, save the image you want to send via OCR to your computer.
Next, open the Google Drive website and upload your file to the app.
Pro Tip: If you are a Gmail user, you can also attach the scanned document to an email. The attached file features a button that allows you to transfer the file to Google Drive without leaving your inbox.
After putting the file in Google Drive, locate it and right click it. Then select Open with and choose Google Docs .
The scanned image appears as a new editable text document in Google Docs! Google will keep your original image at the top of the document and automatically create editable text using OCR below it.
The combination of Google Drive and Google Docs did a good job here. Struggled to understand web addresses, but that was the case with all tools tested.
Many Free Online OCR Tools 4 Free Online OCR Tools Put the Ultimate to the Test 4 Free Online OCR Tools Put the Ultimate to the Test With advances in OCR technology, it's easier to convert text and images from your Scanned PDF document to editable text formats. We tested some free online OCR tools so you don't have to. Read More Google Docs is advantageous because it has no page load limits.
Microsoft also offers support for OCR, but only for Windows users. Do you use a version of Microsoft Word from 2010 or higher? You already have Microsoft Document Imaging..
Otherwise, you need to install SharePoint Designer 2007.
Ok, now before we dive into this, it's important to note that you will need to have Microsoft Word for this OCR method to actually work.
Microsoft Word is not a free program, I know. However, because this OCR method is SO effective, and because Word is so easy to access (go to any library or college campus) anyway, I'm making the decision to include this on our list of free OCR tools. OCR.
Continuing...
Install SharePoint by going to this URL. When you click Download , You will be presented with a few options. Click on the SharepointDesigner.exe field and stroke Download .
After accepting the software license, choose the Customize option.
Find the Installation Options tab at the top left of the box on your screen (this should be the default tab the program takes you to). Notice the dropdown menus to the left of many of the options.
Find the dropdown menus for Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer , Microsoft Office Shared Features , and Office tools . Select the Not available option for all of them. It includes a red X, which facilitates its location..
Expand the section for Office Tools , then locate the Microsoft Office Document Imaging option. Choose the Run everything from my computer option. Be careful not to select the Run from my computer entry similarly in the dropdown menu.
Finally, click Install Now button. It's at the bottom right of the dialog you worked with during this installation. (Note:This installation may take a few minutes.)
You are now ready to use the MODI function!
The next step is to scan your document or save your image from the web. Then convert it to a TIFF file.
Microsoft Paint is an example of a free TIFF conversion option. Just open your file in Paint and click Save As . Select Other formats .
Select TIFF format from the dropdown menu and save the image.
Then start MODI on your computer.
Just search your computer for Microsoft Office Document Imaging and open the program.
After that, click File , then Open and find your image document.
Then click the OCR button in the menu bar.
After the program finishes OCR, click the Tools menu and select Send Text to Word.
The program will automatically open a new Word document and paste the OCR text into it.
The result gives you editable text within a program you know well.
Having to download the add-on software first can seem a bit intimidating. However, the process itself isn't difficult, and Microsoft does a better job of recognizing text than Google Drive. For example, this program had no trouble finding the website URL for MakeUseOf.com, and didn't match any words.
However, one major drawback is that MODI is not available for Mac computers. If you have a Mac, check out these alternatives.
Download: MDI to TIFF File Converter and SharePoint Designer 2007 (Free for Windows)
Maybe you're just getting started with OCR tools and want an extremely easy, non-platform-specific option (like the best online word processors The 8 Best Free Online Word Processors The 8 Best Free Online Word Processors the Online word processors come in all shapes and sizes. Use these selection picks to choose the writing tool that's right for you. Read More). A website called OnlineOCR.net meets those needs.
It supports over 40 languages, which is good news if your document contains a language other than English.
Look for the blue Select File button on the left side of your screen. Because you can upload files up to 15 MB, this service works well for materials with a lot of graphics.
After that, use the dropdown list and select the desired output language. Look to the right of that menu and notice there are three file format options. You can select Microsoft Word (which is the route I took), Microsoft Excel, or Plain Text.
The Excel option can be useful when working with a scanned price sheet that includes graphics. It's also potentially useful with any source material other than numbers. OnlineOCR supports documents with tables and columns as well.
After adjusting the options, click Convert button. Then download the output file that the tool spits out, and voila ! Editable text at your fingertips.
This free tool didn't work like as well as the other two here, but since you can use OnlineOCR without registration, it is very convenient and easy. Also, it did a half-decent job of recognizing the text in my image. It's a smart choice if you want to try a tool without committing or providing information.
In addition, this free option allows you to convert up to 15 documents per hour. That benefit makes it suitable for medium-volume OCR tasks.
Each of these programs has its strengths.
With any tool, once you're done with the OCR process How to Extract Text from Images (OCR) How to Extract Text from Images (OCR) The best way to extract text from an image is to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) ). We show you seven free OCR tools for the job. Read More meet your needs. You can even use AutoCorrect to speed up your typing. Read more . This is especially true if you're just starting out with a tool and don't know if it's accurate.
And, depending on your use, you may not even have to submit OCR documents. You can turn a paper book into an e-book without OCR, for example.
Which OCR software works best for you? Do you have a different favorite OCR program that we didn't mention here? Leave a comment and let us know..
Did you know you could also convert handwriting to text using OCR? How to Convert an Image of Handwriting to Text Using OCR How to Convert an Image of Handwriting to Text Using OCR To convert an image of handwritten text into digital text that you can edit and search for, you need an OCR (Optical Recognition) tool. of characters). Try one of these OCR tools to digitize handwriting. Read more ? Mac Users Can Use Image Capture App 4 Handy Ways To Use Image Capture App On Your Mac 4 Handy Ways To Use Image Capture App On Your Mac Image Capture App On Your Mac is a quiet but useful tool. Here are some practical uses for image capture that you should check out. Read More
Originally written by Chris Hoffman in March 2012..
