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Get Access to produce searchable PDF file.

MG6317 20 Reputation points
2025-11-25T15:49:15.77+00:00

How do I get MS Access Export to PDF feature to produce searchable PDF documents? I've tried both Standard publishing and Minimum size options and neither works.

I've also tried to print to PDF but again the text is not intelligent. I'm using FoxIt PDF Standard pdf.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Access | For home | Windows
Answer accepted by question author
  1. TiNo-T 9,260 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-11-26T00:34:33.7833333+00:00

    Dear @MG,

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum!

    Based on your description, I can see that when a PDF is created via “Print to PDF” or when certain fonts/layouts force rasterization, Access (or the printer driver) can turn the page into an image. Image‑only PDFs look fine but don’t contain real text, so Find (Ctrl+F), copy/paste, and screen readers won’t work.

    Here are my suggested methods that you can try to see if they can help you:

    1.Access to PDF/XPS (best for reports):

    Open your report > External Data > PDF or XPS > choose Save as type: PDF and Standard quality > Publish. This exporter preserves layout and keeps text searchable when fonts are embeddable. Reference: Save or convert to PDF or XPS in Office Desktop apps

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    Then, I can make my Access file to be searchable PDF:

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    2.Access > Word (RTF) (use when you need Word’s PDF options):

    In Access: External Data > More > Word > in Export - RTF file screen, please choose "Open the destination file after the export operation is complete" check box.

    After that, it opens the RTF file in Word > choose File > Save As > PDF, and in Options tick Document structure tags for accessibility to guarantee a text layer. You can see more details in here: Export Access data to a Word document

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    Then, my PDF file from Word can be searchable as well:

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    3.Additionally, you can consult the method in this How to make a PDF file searchable

    Please note: Our support is limited to providing guidance based on official Microsoft documentation. Third-party resources and references are for informational and advisory purposes only. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or availability of third-party content. We recommend that you exercise caution when referring to these materials.

    I hope this information can help you and please kindly correct me if I misunderstand your concern. Wish you a pleasant day!

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    1 person found this answer helpful.

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  1. Q&A Assist
    2025-11-25T15:49:29.5466667+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    To produce searchable PDF documents from Microsoft Access, you may need to use a different approach than the standard export options. The context does not provide specific details on how to achieve this directly from MS Access, but here are some general recommendations:

    1. Use OCR Software: If your PDF documents are scanned images, consider using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software to convert them into searchable PDFs. This may involve exporting your document to a standard PDF format first and then running it through OCR software.
    2. Check PDF Export Settings: Ensure that the settings you are using in MS Access for exporting to PDF are configured correctly. Sometimes, specific export options can affect the output quality and searchability.
    3. Use Compatible PDF Software: If you are using FoxIt PDF Standard, ensure that it supports the features you need for creating searchable PDFs. You might also want to try other PDF creation tools that are known for better text recognition capabilities.
    4. Export to Word First: Another method is to export your Access report to Microsoft Word, then save the Word document as a PDF. This can sometimes yield better results in terms of text recognition in the resulting PDF.
    5. Use Microsoft Purview: If you're working within an organization that uses Microsoft Purview, you might want to explore its capabilities for handling sensitive information and PDF exports, as it includes features for maintaining text recognition in exported documents.

    Unfortunately, the context does not provide a direct solution for MS Access specifically, but these general approaches may help you achieve searchable PDFs.

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