Infrequently I come across old pdf files with pages that contain text as a single static image and lack searchable text. I’ve wanted an easy and free OCR solution and I’ve now found it, although I’ll keep looking for an open source option that is just as easy to use. For now, my Mac is rocking OwlOCR and it offers right-click contextual menu access to making searchable pdf’s without paying for it (for now), here’s how:
- Download OwlOCR through the App Store app on your Mac.
- Enable OwlOCR’s Finder Extensions using these instructions beginning with the section “Enabling Finder Extensions in MacOS”
When you have a .pdf in the Finder that you want to make searchable, right-click the .pdf’s icon, choose “Quick Actions->Create Searchable PDF” and wait until a status window indicates that it is done. Thanks OwlOCR team!