How to Copy Text from an Image or Screenshot (OCR)

Need the text from a screenshot, a photo of a document or a scanned page? Optical character recognition (OCR) turns it into editable text in seconds.

๐Ÿ”ŽFree Image to Text (OCR)
Extract text from photos, screenshots and scans.
Open tool →

In your browser (any device)

Open Image to Text, choose the language and drop in the image. The text appears in a box you can copy. Recognition runs on your device – the image isn't uploaded.

Built into your phone

iPhone: open the photo and press and hold on the text (Live Text). Android: open the photo in Google Photos or Google Lens and tap Text.

Built into your computer

Windows 11: Snipping Tool > Text actions. Mac: open the image in Preview and select the text directly.

Getting accurate results

Use sharp, straight, well-lit images with text at least 20 pixels tall; crop to just the text; printed text works far better than handwriting. Always proofread numbers, names and email addresses.

Frequently asked questions

Can OCR read handwriting?

Neat handwriting sometimes; messy handwriting rarely.

Which languages are supported?

English plus Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi and Chinese.

Is it free?

Yes.

๐Ÿ”ŽFree Image to Text (OCR)
Extract text from photos, screenshots and scans.
Open tool →

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