> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.jurisphere.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.jurisphere.ai/file-upload-and-management/your-files-and-documents/ocr.md).

# OCR

Optical Character Recognition

If you have scanned or image-based PDFs, you can OCR the file on Jurisphere to make the text readable and searchable for AI-powered tools like [Document Review](broken://pages/ioadAgKgwcPNJyzsqmpV) and [Translation](/translation/overview-of-the-translation-tool.md).

<mark style="color:blue;">**OCR is automatically applied to all files when they are being uploaded and processed**</mark>. However, in some cases, you may be required to manually apply OCR again.

{% hint style="info" %}
You can check whether a document is OCR'ed, by simply opening the document in the left pane, and selecting the text within the document. If you are able to select all the text in the document, then your <mark style="color:green;">**document is machine readable**</mark>.
{% endhint %}

Additionally, you can also manually **Apply OCR** to files. Follow these steps:

1. In the [file options](/file-upload-and-management/your-files-and-documents/file-options.md) menu appears by clicking on the three dots on every file. Select **Apply OCR and Re-Process**.
2. Confirm your action in the popup box that appears.

<figure><img src="https://3330719282-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F2zbn28n79AjHkgxNqfPb%2Fuploads%2F8IG4eYJAbymewGABZGcy%2FAdobeExpressPhotos_6e5e1ecc8db24ae588c2292aaf622764_CopyEdited.png?alt=media&amp;token=36e6873a-7875-4b90-a392-32b26f39073e" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

You can also select the languages within the document to allow Jurisphere to make it machine readable and uniformly apply OCR. The pop up box appears, and you can select the language. Select every language that appears in the file so OCR reads each script correctly.

<figure><img src="https://3330719282-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F2zbn28n79AjHkgxNqfPb%2Fuploads%2F6lq86BUvHtWJlrWNXAbv%2FScreenshot%202026-08-04%20181930.png?alt=media&amp;token=6b0d9fbb-2090-4c85-aee3-95a102e8d5ba" alt="" width="368"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
The OCR process takes time. Check the notification drawer for updates, and feel free to use other files and features while you wait.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

### When is manual OCR needed?

* **Encrypted or protected PDFs**: If your document contains pages without selectable text with either a image-over-text layer or any other anomaly, manual OCR is necessary to make it searchable and usable for AI.
* **Low-quality scans**: Files with unclear text, skewed pages, or handwritten annotations may require a manual OCR pass to improve text recognition.
* **Documents uploaded without auto-OCR**: If the files due to incorrect indexing skipped Jurisphere's automatic OCR during file upload, you can manually apply OCR and reprocess them.
* **Language detection issues**: In rare cases where a document has mixed languages or unusual formatting, manual OCR ensures correct text extraction.

***

### Why is manual OCR important?

{% hint style="danger" %}
Without OCR, AI tools cannot "read" your file — they treat it as an image, and search, translation, extraction, and analysis won’t work.
{% endhint %}

. By manually applying OCR:

* [x] The document becomes fully searchable.
* [x] Jurisphere can extract dates, parties, and key legal terms.
* [x] You can generate Lists of Dates, run Redline comparisons, and translate the text.


---

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