Last Reviewed:  April 13, 2023

Speed Up PDF Conversion and OCR

OCR is the slowest part of the conversion process. Here are some tips to speed it up:

More RAM?

FileConvert is actually fairly light on RAM. If you have a relatively clean, fast-running machine, increasing the RAM won't usually make a difference. Here's how to check if it can help you:

Open your Task Manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL) while FileConvert's running a conversion job and look at the Commit Charge down on the status bar. This shows the RAM in use compared to the RAM available. Unless those numbers are getting close, RAM's not going to be a factor. Normally the RAM in use should be well under 75% of the RAM available.

Multiple Processors or Cores

If you have multiple processors or multiple processor cores, you can upgrade to FileConvert Pro Plus. This will let you convert one document per core/processor, which will really speed things up.

Try a Different OCR Engine

If you don't actually need searchable PDFs, don't run OCR at all. This will make a huge difference in speed.

If you do need searchable PDFs, you might try a different OCR engine. If you only need minimal accuracy, try the Simple OCR engine, which is extremely fast, but not as accurate.

To change the OCR engine:

  1. Select your job
  2. Click the "Edit" button
  3. Go to the "Advanced" tab
  4. You'll see the "OCR Engine" options available

To disable OCR completely, follow the steps above to get to the "Advanced" tab. Then de-select all of these options:

If you still need to process Separators, leave that option selected. FileConvert will do a fast OCR to look for Separators. Otherwise, de-select that option as well.

Choose a Fast Processor

Finally, put FileConvert on the machine with the fastest processor. OCR is very processor-intensive, so using a faster processor will make a difference.

A better solution starts right here.

Download your free trial and get on the path to better file organization in 2 minutes.

  • Fully-operational, 15-day trial
  • Windows desktop software
  • No credit card required, no strings attached.