Batch PDF OCR Processor for Windows

Batch process all PDF files in a folder to make them searchable with OCR using ocrmypdf and a simple PowerShell script. Output files are saved in an output subfolder. Perfect for Windows users needing fast PDF text recovery.

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Features

• Processes all PDF files in the current folder
• Runs OCR to make PDFs searchable (text layer added)
• Outputs processed PDFs to an output subfolder

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Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11
• PowerShell (already included in Windows)
• Chocolatey package manager (for easy installation)
• Python 3 (with pip)
• Tesseract-OCR
• Ghostscript
• ocrmypdf

Optional but Recommended

• pngquant (for better image compression)
• jbig2 (for advanced PDF compression, but see important Windows note below)

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Step-by-Step Installation (Stupid-Proof)

1. Install Chocolatey

Chocolatey lets you install Windows programs from the command line.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator (Right click PowerShell > "Run as Administrator").

2. Paste this command and press Enter:

   Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; `
     [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; `
     iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

3. Close and reopen PowerShell (as normal user is fine for next steps).

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2. Install Python and Pip

Using Chocolatey (in PowerShell):

choco install python -y

• This will install Python and pip.
• Close and reopen PowerShell after installation.
• Test with:

  python --version
  pip --version

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3. Install Required Packages (ocrmypdf, tesseract, ghostscript)

Install Tesseract and Ghostscript using Chocolatey:

choco install tesseract -y
choco install ghostscript -y

Install ocrmypdf (using pip):

pip install ocrmypdf

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4. (Optional) Install Additional Recommended Packages

pngquant

For better image compression, install:

choco install pngquant -y

jbig2 (Advanced, Optional, Not Directly Supported on Windows)

jbig2 is an optional dependency that can improve PDF compression.

• Important: There is no official Windows binary and it is not available via Chocolatey.
• If you require jbig2, you will need to manually compile it from source or find a trusted third-party binary for Windows. For most users, this step can be skipped.

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5. Enable PowerShell Script Execution

IMPORTANT:
By default, Windows may prevent running scripts.
Before running the script, in PowerShell, execute:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass

This change is temporary and only for the current PowerShell window.

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Usage

1. Place ocr_batch.ps1 in the same folder as your PDFs.

2. Open PowerShell in that folder (Shift + Right Click in the folder > "Open PowerShell window here").

3. Run the script:

   .\ocr_batch.ps1

4. Processed PDFs will appear in the output subfolder.