Massive PDF Expert update brings a big redesign, OCR support, and more

Pdf Expert Mac Screenshot (Image credit: Readdle)

What you need to know

Readdle has released PDF Expert 3 for the Mac.
The new update includes a massive redesign of the app, including dark mode.
OCR functionality has been added using Apple Vision.

Readdle has today updated its PDF Expert app for the Mac, bringing a massive redesign and new features to the platform.

The newly updated PDF Expert, available in the App Store today, has a brand new design that is built to look as clean and modern as the upcoming macOS Ventura and beyond. There's also support for dark mode for the first time, meaning you'll no longer be blinded by a big white screen.

PDF Expert gets its biggest redesign in years and becomes more effortless and easier to use. We've reimagined that simple and minimalist layout you know and love, bringing a clean modern look & feel. You'll find beautiful new icons for PDF tools, a taller toolbar that makes all the features easier to find, fresh color enhancements, and more.

A number of new features join that dark mode with one notable addition being OCR (Optical Character Recognition) support. Now, PDF Expert can highlight text in scanned PDFs, with all content also searchable. Text can also be copied out with Readdle using the Apple Vision framework.

Why do you need OCR? Some PDFs like scanned books or receipts aren't searchable and don't allow you to select and highlight text. That's where PDF Expert comes in handy. Its intelligent OCR technology recognizes text in scanned files, with the highest level of precision and impressive speed.

There is a ton more going on in the updated PDF Expert and you can learn all about it in the announcement post on Readdle's blog. This has long been one of the best Mac PDF apps and now it's better than ever.

Those who already have PDF Expert can download the update free. Everyone else gets a seven-day trial with full access to all Premium features — subscriptions are available to unlock them beyond the first week. PDF Expert is available in the Mac App Store now.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.