Copy text from a screenshot, privately
Text inside an image cannot be selected or searched. This screenshot to text converter reads the words for you using OCR, optical character recognition, and gives you plain text you can paste anywhere.
It is handy for quotes from a video call, error messages, text in a locked PDF you screenshotted, a slide from a presentation, a receipt, or a message you want to reuse without retyping it.
The OCR engine runs in your browser. Your screenshot is read on your device and is never sent to our servers, so it is safe for screenshots with names, account numbers or work messages. Once the English language data has downloaded, the tool keeps working without a connection.
How to convert a screenshot to text
- Add your screenshot: drop it on the tool, paste it with Ctrl + V (Cmd + V on a Mac), or pick a file.
- Wait a moment while the text is recognised. The first time, the English language data downloads once.
- Check the result and fix any words it misread.
- Copy the text, or download it as a .txt file.
Tips for the best accuracy
- Use clear, high-contrast screenshots of typed text. Dark text on a light background reads best.
- Crop to the part you need. Menus, icons and busy backgrounds add stray characters.
- Capture at full size. Zoom in on the page before you take the screenshot if the text is small.
- Handwriting and tiny text are less reliable, so check the result closely.
- English is supported first, so text in other languages may come out with errors.
Ways to capture text from your screen
You need a screenshot first. These shortcuts copy one straight to the clipboard, ready to paste into the tool with Ctrl + V or Cmd + V.
- Windows 10 and 11: press Windows + Shift + S, drag around the text, and the capture is copied to the clipboard.
- Mac: press Cmd + Control + Shift + 4, drag around the text, and the capture goes to the clipboard instead of a file.
- Web pages: the NeoReader Full Page Screenshot extension can copy a dragged area or a whole page to the clipboard.
- Phones: take a screenshot as usual, then open this page in your browser and pick the image from your photos.
Screenshot to Word, notes and emails
To get a screenshot into a Word document as editable text, run it through the tool, copy the result and paste it into Word, Google Docs or any other editor. You will need to redo headings, bold text and tables yourself, because OCR gives you the words rather than the layout.
The .txt download is useful when you want a record of the text on its own, for example to search it later or keep it alongside the original screenshot. Plain text opens in any editor on any device.
