PDFs Will Soon Be Converted Into Text In Chrome

Google will soon make it simpler for those with impaired vision to engage with PDFs. 

It is integrating OCR (optical character recognition) technology into Chrome to help make PDFs more accessible, especially if you want a screen reader to read them aloud. 

Additionally, the tool will offer visual captions.

In the "coming months," the feature will be accessible, according to Google.

Later this year, the company also intends to provide capabilities to other platforms besides Chrome, though it hasn't said which ones. 

More information has been requested from Google, and we'll update you if we hear back.

The launch is part of a larger initiative for education that also includes free access to Adobe Express in the US and app licensing for school Chromebooks. 

Chrome can soon convert PDFs into text

Also, administrators will have more control over what faculty members and students can access on their Chromebooks. 

For example, they will be able to prohibit students from copying and pasting text from particular websites, including generative AI tools that could be used to cheat on exams. 

Regardless of where they are in Chrome OS, users will find it simpler to turn off their camera or microphone.

With the read-aloud PDF capability, students with vision impairments will have an easier time reading scanned course materials or important research articles in classroom settings. 

Nonetheless, this will also improve general public access to the internet. Websites frequently provide terms of service and other crucial information in PDF files. 

More people can access that information thanks to the improvement.

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