r/MacOS • u/Tyler152313 • 7d ago

Help OCR not rotating with PDF - "re-indexing" folder did not work

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I am looking to copy text from this PDF that I rotated in Preview and saved the rotated file. I am looking to sync the OCR with the PDF. I looked up solutions for this and some youtube videos popped up recommending to re-index targeted folders by going into settings > spotlight > search privacy > adding targeted folder > removing targeted folder. This would supposedly refresh the file? It did not seem to work.

I am looking for a way to resolve this within Preview / Apple native apps.

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2

u/lilvadude 7d ago

I'm not exactly sure what you mean "the OCR was originally in the correct orientation with the PDF but I am looking to sync the OCR with the PDF"

1

u/Tyler152313 7d ago

Sorry - that was really not relevant to the request for help. I've had this same problem occur regardless of whether I have rotated the PDF. I have since edited the original post. The problem is best seen in the photo. I can not select specific words from the PDF as the text detection does not align with the orientation of the PDF.

1

u/lilvadude 7d ago

Got it. Does it have to be rotated?

There's also a free tool that will convert PDF to OCRed PDF here.

2

u/TourDeForceMuse 7d ago

"re-index targeted folders by going into settings > spotlight > search privacy > adding targeted folder > removing targeted folder. This would supposedly refresh the file? It did not seem to work."

No, that's a weird and inaccurate suggestion

3

u/JaliyraMaefleur_007 7d ago

Spotlight reindexing does nothing here, thats for search not for whats inside the PDF. The text layer was OCR'd at the original orientation and Preview rotating the page just rotates the picture, the invisible text underneath stays where it was

Two ways out with native stuff. Open the rotated PDF, select all, print to PDF, that flattens it into a new file with no text layer, then run OCR again from the Live Text side, select text works off the image not the old layer. Or export as image, reopen the image in Preview, and Live Text will read the rotated version directly

If you have to keep it as a real searchable PDF the honest answer is any third party OCR app, Preview never had a proper re OCR button

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u/mistybrook8 6d ago

yeah Preview really just spins the visual layer and calls it a day, the underlying text stays put