when I scan a document as a pdf it's changed to a word document

[crushdepth]

When I scan a document as a PDF on my HP scanner it changed to a word document. I want the pdf.

[crushdepth]

HP printer/scanner 

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

hi @crushdepth , Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding your scanner!  
We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution

If your HP scanner is saving scans as a Word document instead of a PDF, follow these steps to fix it:

Check the Scan Settings in HP Software

1. Open HP Scan on your computer.
2. Select "Save as PDF" instead of "Save as Editable Text (OCR)."
3. Adjust the scan settings to ensure OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is turned off if you don’t need text editing.
4. Scan the document again and check if it saves as a PDF.

Use Windows Fax and Scan

1. Open Windows Fax and Scan (press Windows + S and search for it).
2. Click "New Scan" and select your HP scanner.
3. Change the File Type to PDF (if available) and scan again.
4. If the option isn’t available, scan as a JPEG, then use Print to PDF to convert it.

Use HP Smart App (Recommended)

1. Download or open the HP Smart App.
2. Select Scan and place the document on the scanner.
3. Under File Type, choose PDF.
4. Click Save and check if the scan is now a PDF.

Convert Word Document to PDF (If Already Scanned)

If your document is already saved as a Word file, you can convert it to a PDF:

1. Open the Word file.
2. Click File > Save As.
3. Choose PDF as the file format and save.

If the Issue Persists

• Check HP Scan Software Version: Ensure you have the latest version from the HP Support website.
• Reinstall HP Scanner Drivers: Uninstall and reinstall your scanner drivers to reset settings.

Let me know if you need more help! 😊

Hope I was able to make things easier for you! 😊

If this solved your issue, go ahead and mark it as "Accepted Solution" and hit "Yes"—your feedback keeps us going and helps others too! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day! 🚀

Best regards,

[Sneha_01]

Hi @crushdepth 

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It seems like when you're scanning a document using your HP printer/scanner, it's being saved as a Word document instead of a PDF. This could be happening due to settings in your scanning software or specific options selected during the scanning process.

Here’s how you can fix it and ensure your scans are saved as PDFs:

1. Check Scanning Software Settings

• HP Smart or the HP Scan software should have options to choose the file type for the scanned document. When scanning, ensure that the PDF option is selected as the output format.
• Steps:
  • Open the HP Smart app or HP Scan.
  • Select Scan.
  • Before scanning, look for a dropdown or a setting that lets you choose the file format. Make sure it’s set to PDF, not Word or DOC.
  • After scanning, check that the file is saved as a PDF.

2. Check the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Settings

• Some scanning programs have a built-in feature called OCR (Optical Character Recognition), which converts scanned text into editable text. If OCR is enabled and the output format is set to Word, the scan might automatically be saved as a Word document.
• To prevent this, ensure OCR is turned off or set the output to PDF.
• Steps:
  • Open your scanning software (HP Scan or HP Smart).
  • Look for an OCR option or a setting for Searchable Text.
  • If OCR is turned on, turn it off and set the format to PDF.

3. Save to PDF Directly from the Scanner Interface

• If your scanner has a display or touchscreen, check the settings directly on the scanner to choose PDF as the format before scanning.
• Often, there are options like:
  • Scan to Email
  • Scan to Computer (PDF)
  • Scan to USB
  • Ensure PDF is selected here.

4. Check the Default File Saving Location and File Type

• Sometimes the scanning software may default to saving files in a specific location with a file extension of .docx instead of .pdf.
• Make sure that the default file type for saving scans is set to PDF. You may need to adjust this in the Save As dialog box or settings.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

Sneha_01

HP Support

[PiterGeek]

If your HP printer/scanner keeps saving scans as Word documents instead of PDFs, the issue is likely in the scanning software settings, where it’s either defaulting to a Word-compatible format (like .docx) or has Optical Character Recognition (OCR) set to output editable text instead of a standard PDF.