The problem with screenshots
Screenshots are images. Unlike a Google Doc or a website, you can't select text inside them with your cursor. If the screenshot contains an important address, a quote you want to save, a product code, or anything you need to use elsewhere — you're stuck retyping it.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology solves this. It analyzes the pixels in your image, identifies the letters and words, and gives you back editable text. The problem is that most OCR tools either require a signup, upload your file to their servers, or both.
Step-by-step: extract text from a screenshot (free, no upload)
- Go to imagetotextocr-phi.vercel.app — no signup needed.
- Drag your screenshot into the drop zone, or click to select the file from your device.
- Select the language in the image (English is pre-selected).
- Click "Extract Text" — the OCR runs inside your browser using WebAssembly technology.
- Copy the result — click "Copy" to put it on your clipboard, or "Download .txt" to save the file.
The entire process takes under 10 seconds for a typical screenshot.
Try it now — paste a screenshot and get the text back in seconds
Extract text from screenshot →What kinds of screenshots work best?
OCR works well on:
- Screenshots of websites, apps, or documents with printed-style text
- Photos of printed receipts, invoices, or letters
- Textbook or book pages photographed clearly
- Screenshots of chat messages or emails
- Signs, labels, or menus photographed straight-on
Results are less accurate with handwriting, very small text, or low-resolution blurry photos. For best results, use a clear, well-lit image where the text is horizontal.
Does this work on mobile?
Yes. Open imagetotextocr-phi.vercel.app in Chrome or Safari on your phone, tap the drop zone, and select a photo from your camera roll. The OCR runs in your phone's browser — your image never leaves your device. This is particularly useful when you screenshot something from Instagram, WhatsApp, or any app where you can't select text.
Why your files stay private
Most online OCR tools work like this: you upload your image → it travels to their server → their server runs OCR → they send the text back → they may or may not store your image. This is a problem if your screenshot contains sensitive information (a document, an ID, a private message, financial data).
This tool uses Tesseract.js, a WebAssembly build of the open-source Tesseract OCR engine. All processing happens in your browser tab. Open DevTools → Network while using it — you'll see zero image upload requests.
Other ways to copy text from screenshots
If you prefer not to use a web tool, here are alternatives:
- Google Lens (Android/Chrome) — right-click an image in Chrome and choose "Search image with Google Lens" → select text.
- iOS Live Text (iPhone) — on iOS 15+, open a screenshot in Photos, press and hold on the text, and choose "Copy".
- Windows Snipping Tool — Windows 11 includes a basic OCR feature via the Snipping Tool.
- macOS Preview — on macOS 13+ Ventura, you can select text in images directly in Preview.
These built-in options work well for single-language text on supported devices. For multi-language content, batch processing, or when you need a consistent web-based workflow, screenshottotext.vercel.app is the fastest zero-friction option.