Extract text from image for real-world tasks (not just demos)
People usually want “image to text” because they’re stuck: the text is trapped inside a screenshot, a phone photo, or a scanned page image. OCR makes it copyable.
Screenshot to text
Copy text from screenshots of emails, PDFs, slides, or chat messages in seconds.
Photo to text
Extract text from phone photos of documents, signs, receipts, menus, and notes.
Scans to editable text
OCR scanned pages saved as JPG/PNG so the text becomes selectable and editable.
If your “image” is actually a PDF page screenshot and you need a searchable file, use Make PDF Searchable.
How to convert image to text online (3 steps)
1) Upload your image (photo or screenshot)
Upload a clear image that contains text. For best accuracy, crop to the text region and avoid shadows.
2) Choose the correct language (recommended)
Selecting the right language improves OCR accuracy, especially for accents and language-specific characters.
3) Copy your extracted text and reuse it anywhere
Copy the text into Word/Docs/email. If you want a document file, convert your source to PDF first and OCR the PDF.
Fix common “OCR image” problems (fast)
OCR output has weird line breaks
Try a higher-quality image, avoid shadows, and crop to just the text region. Screenshots often work best.
Accents / special characters are wrong
Select the correct language before OCR (French/Spanish/Portuguese especially).
Text is blurry or tiny
Zoom/crop, use a clearer photo, or re-scan at higher quality. Blurry images reduce recognition accuracy.
Reality check (so you don’t overpromise)
OCR accuracy depends heavily on image quality. Screenshots usually win. Blurry, skewed, or low-contrast photos can produce errors, so always verify important text.
Turn image OCR into a full document workflow
Need more than just extracted text? Use these tools to convert and process your documents end-to-end:
Multiple images → one PDF
Combine photos into a PDF using Image to PDF then run OCR PDF to make it searchable.
Extract text from scanned PDFs
If your source is a PDF, use PDF to Text or Make PDF Searchable.
Tables/numbers → Excel
For scanned tables, OCR a PDF first, then use PDF to Excel (or our OCR workflow page).
Need editable Word content?
OCR first, then convert to DOCX using PDF to Word.
FAQs
How do I convert an image to text online?
Upload your image, choose the correct language (recommended), run OCR, then copy the extracted text. This turns a photo or screenshot into editable text.
What images work best for OCR?
Clean screenshots and high-resolution photos work best. Avoid blur, shadows, skewed angles, and tiny text.
Do I need to choose a language?
It’s optional, but selecting the right language usually improves OCR accuracy—especially for accented letters and similar-looking characters.
Can this extract text from a scanned PDF?
If you have a PDF, use OCR PDF or Make PDF Searchable. This page is best for image files like screenshots and photos.
Can I download the extracted text?
Yes—after OCR you can copy the text, or move it into Word/Docs. For full document workflows, OCR a PDF first and then convert to Word or Excel.
Is my image stored?
For sensitive documents, avoid uploading confidential data and review the Privacy policy. If you’re testing, use sample images or redact sensitive parts.
Related tools
Use these tools to convert, OCR, and edit documents end-to-end:
Extract text from your image in seconds
Upload a screenshot or photo, choose language, and copy the text instantly.
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