WPS PDF Scan Recognition helps turn text in scanned PDF files into editable content; this guide covers 2 core tasks, with 0 available without membership and 2 membership-related items.
At a Glance
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core tasks | 2 | Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index |
| Available without membership | 0 | Matches the number of Free rows in the index |
| Membership-related items | 2 | Matches the number of membership-required rows in the index |
| Version limit | No version limit | Limitation information provided for this feature |
About This Feature
Overview
PDF Scan Recognition converts image-based text in scanned PDF files into editable content so you can revise, search, and organize information more easily. The feature is available from the Convert tab in a PDF document. You can run recognition on the current file or add multiple scanned PDF files for batch processing.
Core tasks include:
- Single Document Recognition: Recognize the currently open scanned PDF and make its text editable after processing.
- Multiple Document Recognition: Add multiple scanned PDF files, apply settings once, and start batch recognition.
This feature is useful for scanned contracts, digitized paper materials, invoice archives, and research files. When you need to extract text from scanned PDFs and continue editing it, PDF Scan Recognition can reduce repeated manual typing.
System Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows desktop environment |
| App version | It is recommended to use the latest version of WPS Office |
| Network | Keep the network available for installation and account sign-in; recognition runs according to the current client environment |
| Other | You need to be able to open PDF files normally and have membership access for PDF editing |
Download & Installation
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Official download | WPS Office Free Download |
| Check after installation | Launch WPS Office, open any PDF, and confirm that Scan Recognition is available under the Convert tab |
Source: WPS Download Center
Compare with Alternatives
| Comparison Item | WPS | Microsoft | Notion | Adobe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core capability summary | Provides Scan Recognition in the PDF Convert tab, with support for single-document recognition and multi-document recognition; recognized text becomes editable. | Word can open a PDF and attempt to import text, and accuracy depends on scan quality; Microsoft Lens can save scanned content into an editable Word document. | Google Docs official pages focus on collaboration; official Google workflows can open PDFs through Google Drive or Google Docs for text extraction, but there is no clear official description of local batch recognition in a desktop PDF editor workflow. | Notion can import PDFs and notes that scanned or image-only PDFs are not reliably searchable unless OCR is run first; it is more suitable for importing and organizing content than editing PDFs in place. | Acrobat can apply OCR to scanned PDFs, convert them into editable and searchable PDFs, and continue editing the text afterward. |
| Official source | — | Source: Insert scanned text or images into Word | Source: Google Docs | Source: Import data into Notion | Source: How to use OCR software for PDFs in 4 easy steps |
Advantage: Supports both current-file recognition and multi-file batch recognition in one PDF conversion workflow, which is practical for direct work on scanned PDFs in Windows.
Overall Conclusion
WPS is a practical choice when you want to work directly with scanned PDF files in a Windows desktop workflow, especially if you need to switch between current-file recognition and multi-file recognition. If your focus is in-place editing of scanned PDFs, Adobe also provides a complete OCR editing flow. If your focus is content import, collaboration, or knowledge organization, Google and Notion are more oriented toward document flow and content management.
Use Cases
| No. | Scenario | Suitable for | Main challenge | How this feature helps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revising scanned contracts | Admin teams, legal teams, sales teams | Text in scanned contracts cannot be edited directly | Open the PDF and use single-document recognition to turn text into editable content |
| 2 | Organizing multiple scanned invoices | Finance teams, cashiers | Multiple scanned files take time to process one by one | Use multiple-document recognition to add files in batches and process them together |
| 3 | Digitizing paper materials | Teachers, students, researchers | Paper materials converted to PDF still cannot be searched | Recognize the content so keywords can be searched and text can be copied |
| 4 | Reusing archived content | Office staff | Text in historical scanned archives is difficult to reuse | Recognize the file and then edit, extract, or save the result |
| 5 | Preparing multilingual materials | Cross-border teams, research teams | Scanned materials need editable text before review | Set the recognition language and output options during batch recognition |
Membership & Benefits
Free vs WPS Premium
| Capability | Free users | WPS Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Edit PDF files | Limited | Available |
| Use PDF Scan Recognition on PDFs | Limited | Available |
| Single Document Recognition | Requires membership | Available |
| Multiple Document Recognition | Requires membership | Available |
| Basic PDF reading | Available | Available |
Source: WPS Office pricing page
Recommendations
| Scenario | Recommended plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You mainly read PDFs and only occasionally handle standard documents | Free | Suitable for basic reading and everyday office tasks |
| You need to edit scanned PDF files | WPS Premium | PDF Scan Recognition is directly related to PDF editing access |
| You need to process multiple scanned files in batches | WPS Premium | Multiple-document recognition is more suitable for repeated archive and document processing |
How to Subscribe
- Subscription page: Get WPS Premium
- To review current plans and included benefits, open the pricing page and choose the subscription option that fits your needs.
Source: WPS Office pricing page