Installation & launch
“Windows protected your PC” on launch
Windows SmartScreen hasn't seen enough downloads of the installer yet. Click More info → Run anyway. The installer is code-signed by StepForward Solutions LLP / Azure Trusted Signing.
Kaizen OCR won't start
- Make sure you have the .NET 8 desktop runtime (the installer should have installed it).
- Check Windows Event Viewer under Application for any errors mentioning Kaizen OCR.
- Try running as Administrator once (right-click → Run as administrator).
- If it still fails, email us the first few lines of the event log.
OCR quality
Output is garbled / full of nonsense
Almost always a source-image problem. Ladder of fixes:
- Re-scan at higher DPI (300+ is the OCR sweet spot).
- Run Image Deskew to straighten.
- Try the other OCR engine.
- For critical jobs, use Searchable PDF (Azure).
Wrong language recognized
Set the correct language in Settings → Language. For mixed scripts, use multi-language hints (eng+chi_sim).
Tables aren't extracted correctly
Paddle AI's table detection works on clean grid tables but struggles with complex / nested tables. Use Searchable PDF with the Azure Layout model — it's purpose-built for tables.
PDF tools
“This PDF is encrypted”
Run it through Remove Password first (you'll need the password).
Create PDF / Merge produces a huge file
Image sources produce large PDFs. Lower the image quality before merging, or use a PDF compressor after.
Hotkeys & tray
Hotkeys don't register
Possible causes:
- The combo is in use by Windows or another app — try a different combo.
- Enable global hotkey is off in Settings.
- You're running with limited permissions on a corporate machine. Try launching as Administrator once.
Tray icon is missing
Windows may have hidden it in the overflow area. Click the ^ arrow on the Windows taskbar to show hidden tray icons; right-click the Kaizen OCR icon and pin it to the always-visible tray area.
Azure & Searchable PDF
“Test connection” fails
- Endpoint URL should start with
https://and end with/. - The full key is 84 characters — make sure you copied it all.
- Corporate network? Ask IT to whitelist
*.cognitiveservices.azure.com.
“Rate limit exceeded” (429 error)
You've hit your Azure tier's limit. F0 resets monthly; S0 has per-second caps. Wait a minute and retry, or upgrade the Azure tier.
Output PDF has no searchable text
Check the source wasn't encrypted. Also confirm you selected PDF as an output format (not just Markdown / JSON / etc.).
Licensing
“Activation limit reached”
Your license is already active on another machine. Deactivate from that machine's Settings → Licensing → Deactivate, or email [email protected] to reset the binding.
“Unable to reach licensing service”
Activation needs a one-time internet connection to https://azfnlic.azurewebsites.net. Ask IT to whitelist it, or activate from a home connection.
Still stuck?
Email [email protected] with:
- Your Windows version (Settings → System → About)
- Kaizen OCR version (About dialog)
- The exact error message (screenshot is great)
- What you were doing when it happened