How to ACTUALLY turn off Auto OCR - or I truly despise 'performing page recognition' / Automatic OCR

[Clint__]

For myself (and it appears many others) this is the worst feature Adobe Acrobat (maybe Adobe period) currently has. Trying to edit a PDF is a nightmare with this idiotic scan. It repeatedly scans, over and over (once isn't enough?) it takes forever, and oddly it tilts random images off center.

What is the purpose of this? To frustrate users into using another PDF editor? I could understand if it was a work in progress, but you can't even turn the damn thing off. I've tried all the "steps" recommended and nothing. Yes, I have the latest version. 

Threads like this appear through-out Adobe support. It's currently a garbage feature - allow me to turn it off until it's useful. Until then, I'm using another editor. 

[Bernd Alheit · Accepted solution]

You can disable this at Edit PDF:

[Bernd Alheit]

When you Edit PDF what want you edit?

[Clint__]

In this case, I simply want to be able to add/remove text, and switch a few images. Rather uncomplicated - you would think.

However, every time I scroll past (without even touching) an image, it starts the entire 'performing page recognition' again - for the entire 80 page document. In every awful encouter I've had with this 'Auto OCR' (even docs with only a few pages) the process itself takes far too long and wastes time rather than saves it.

As of now, it's an annoyance and I'd prefer to turn it off completely, but even that doesn't seem possible.

[Bernd Alheit · Accepted solution]

You can disable this at Edit PDF:

[Nora_Nora]

Mine is and has been unchecked, but when I clicked the edit tab it started performing text recognition anyway. (it was unchecked before, during and after the recognition process, and I leave it unchecked by default).

I hit excape and clicked the X but not quickly enough to stop the first few pages.  The reason I do not want this is that I don't need it and it sometimes changes the spelling and formatting to be incorrect.  The other annoying thing not previously mentioned is that it automatically saves the file (the pop up window showing the scan progress says "saving" before you can close it).  I do not want this saved because it made my doc look weird. When I hit undo, it just started scanning again.  

Again, the recognize text box was unchecked throughout. 

[Barbara337062666lni]

This worked for me yesterday, 11/18/2023:

Compress PDF BEFORE EDITING. Select “Optimize Scanned Pages” and uncheck “Recognize Text.”

Note, in the current version of Adobe Pro (updated 11/18/2023) the Recognize text check box is under Compress PDF, not under Edit. 

[Eric5FDD]

Nope. After "Recognize Text" is unchecked, if one clicks on the Edit menu, the OCR process restarts.

NOTE TO ADOBE: Not allowing users to turn OFF default automatic OCR when trying to edit a document is not enhancement of users' productivity, it is theft of productivity. You are aware of this conceptual and programming defect, but have not corrected it to enable users to disable it. Why not? When will you fix it?

[Eric5FDD]

Adding to my note above: Perhaps the unalterable default of automatic OCR wouldn't be so bad if actually worked well all the time.  But it often doesn't, and creates numerous errors.  This understandable, given that in many cases the text in the original scanned is difficult to read, or may contain images which confuse the scan technology.  But Adobe, your choice not to allow users to turn automatic OCR off relies on the assumption that your OCR feature is perfect.  No software is perfect or infallible.  Please give users the choice to turn off auto OCR.

[David37596566896o]

To see this sidebar, I need to click on somethink like "Disable New Acrobat", but even when I see this sidebar, the "recognize text" box is greyed out and I can't doing anything with it. Is there any solution that works for either New Acrobat or Old Acrobat? Both versions I only get a greyed out option. I'm losing hours at work trying to fix this from ruining documents.

[rogerinlondon · Accepted solution]

This worked for me, originally posted on Feb 17, 2024.

"go to preferences, select "reading", at the top of that page select "Do not read documents" 

[AnandSri]

Hello @rogerinlondon!

Thank you for sharing the steps that worked for you; this will assist other community users with similar issues. Feel free to reach out if you need any assistance. For future reference, see this article to learn more about editing scanned PDFs.

~Anand Sri.

[diannelamerc]

YES! This worked for me August 27, 2025!

[diannelamerc]

YES! Rogerinlondon's fix worked (August 2025)

[mus1201]

I am with Clint. I need to turn this "feature" off but the Recognize Text box is greyed out within the Edit PDF

option, right under 'Settings'. This OCR is really bad when i have a full page of music and the scan starts and

turns every note on the score editable. I want to maintain the "Image" asis from Finale. The OCR is a nightmare in this context. Thank you in advance for your help.

[Bernd Alheit]

This checkbox is only active for scanned documents.

[defaultaa9yxftizujs]

This isnt the correct answer its not 'recognise text' its 'page recognition' which scans graphics. and ruins them. turn this off please adobe. thanks

[defaultaa9yxftizujs]

and why cant i UNDO the scan? it is just completely stupid.

[defaultaa9yxftizujs]

once again this is not 'recognise text', i have unchecked that box and it is still doing the scan. its just done it again. completely wasted my day and night trying to fix this document because of this feature.

[defaultaa9yxftizujs]

and one more thing! it saves it automatically too! so when i close the unsaved document to try and revert back to the original, it has still ruined all my graphics! hurray!!!! 

[Gina23455561dv58]

The checkbox doesn't do anything, even with a scanned document, you uncheck and it still does the whole perform page recognition ordeal, moves things around, reduces the clarity, and all kinds of things nobody would ever want to do. 

[Barry5CE5]

I completely agree. This is shoul dbe optional. Devalues the product. Guess Canva it is

[abstract_ease3179]

There is no "recognize text" in my version of Acrobat. How do you really disable OCR?  Whatever updates Adobe made here are for the birds.  My documents require me to put in a date and time. I want to fill them in and not be confronted by a "We've detected 1 error(s) in this agreement that need to be fixed."  No, they don't need to be fixed. How do I disable this terrible feature? I can't disable this terrible feature. 

[rogerinlondon]

This worked for me, originally posted on Feb 17, 2024.

"go to preferences, select "reading", at the top of that page select "Do not read documents" 

[abstract_ease3179]

That works! Thank you so much!

--

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[defaultaa9yxftizujs]

MAN I am in an absolute rage right now over this feature and was about to post something like this myself.

i cannot actually believe how annoying this is. I have made my documents in indesign. My graphics and layout and colours are DONE. I dont need acrobate to touch that. All im trying to do is edit some text fields as i am making an interacive PDF.

Everytime i click slightly out of the text fields or something when im adjusting, it decides to scan my whole page and 'recognise' everything and make it all editable and movable. WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT THIS TO HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY?

its ruining my design, my files are ruined and i have to start all opver again to try and do this text fields without clicking in the wrong place or it will happen again!! im on like my tenth time now. I have had enough!!!!! turn off this stupid feature