How to extract text from an image
- Choose the language of the text in your photo. If you are unsure, keep the default English and Hindi option.
- Upload a photo, scan or screenshot with the upload box.
- Wait while the text is recognised. The first time can take longer because language data has to be downloaded.
- Press Copy Text and paste the result into your document or message.
What is OCR?
OCR stands for optical character recognition. The software looks at the shapes of letters in a picture and turns them into text you can edit, search and copy. It saves you from retyping a page from a book, a printed letter, a receipt or a notice.
Supported languages
You can choose from 20 language options: English, Hindi, English plus Hindi together, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Urdu, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German and Russian. Pick the language that matches the text, because selecting the wrong one produces mixed-up characters.
What works best
- Printed text on a plain background gives the best results. This tool is designed for printed text, and handwriting is often not recognised correctly.
- Take the photo in good light, in focus, and as straight on as you can. Shadows and tilted pages reduce accuracy.
- Crop out borders, pictures and unrelated text before uploading if you only need one part of a page.
- Use a higher resolution image for small print. A tiny, blurry screenshot is hard for any OCR engine to read.
Always proofread the result
OCR can mistake similar characters, for example the number 0 and the letter O, or lose punctuation and special characters. Read the extracted text carefully before you use it for anything important, such as names, numbers, dates and addresses.
Limits to know about
- The tool reads image files. It does not open PDF files directly. Convert the PDF page to an image first.
- Tables and multi-column layouts may come out in a different order from the original.
- Very large images take longer and use more memory on a phone.
Is my image safe?
The image is read inside your browser and is not uploaded to our servers. Only the language data for the language you chose is downloaded from a public CDN, and your image is not part of that request. Read the privacy policy for details.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the first scan take so long?
The first time you use a language, your browser downloads its recognition data. Hindi and other non-Latin languages have larger files. Later scans can be faster.
Why is the text full of strange symbols?
Usually the selected language does not match the text, or the image is blurry. Choose the correct language and try a sharper photo.
Does it read handwriting?
Not reliably. It is meant for printed text. Neat block letters sometimes work, but expect mistakes.
Can I edit the text on the page?
The result box is read-only so you can copy it. Paste it into any editor to change it.