How to Extract Text from an Image (Free OCR, No Upload)
OCR (optical character recognition) turns a picture of text into editable, copyable text. You don't need an app or an account — it runs right in your browser. Here's how to extract text from a screenshot, scanned page, or photo in seconds.
Use the tool
Image to Text (OCR)
Step-by-step
- 1
Open Image to Text
Use our Image to Text (OCR) tool. Recognition happens locally — your image never uploads.
- 2
Drop in your image
Drag a screenshot, scan, or photo of a document onto the upload area.
- 3
Click Extract text
On the first run the OCR engine downloads once, then it reads the image on your device.
- 4
Review and edit
The extracted text appears in an editable box — fix any misreads, especially around unusual fonts.
- 5
Copy or download
Copy the text to your clipboard or save it as a .txt file.
💡 Tips
- Higher-resolution, high-contrast images read far better than blurry or low-light photos.
- Straighten skewed scans before running OCR — text that's roughly horizontal is recognized most accurately.
- For a wall of small text, crop to the section you actually need so the engine focuses on it.
FAQ
Is my image uploaded to a server?
No. The OCR engine runs in your browser; only the engine and language data download once. Your image stays on your device.
Why are some characters wrong?
OCR isn't perfect on stylized fonts, handwriting, or low-resolution text. The result is editable so you can correct mistakes.
Can it read handwriting?
It's built for printed text. Neat handwriting sometimes works, but results vary.