Extract Text from Screenshot - Free Online OCR
Need to extract text from a screenshot? Our free OCR online tool converts images to editable text instantly. Upload any screenshot, photo, or scanned document and get copyable text in seconds.
- Extract text from screenshot: Copy text from any screenshot without retyping
- Photo to text converter: Convert phone photos of documents, signs, or books to text
- OCR online free: No software to install - works directly in your browser
- Multi-language support: Extract text in English, Spanish, French, German, and 100+ languages
- Bulk processing: Upload up to 10 images at once for batch text extraction
Perfect for copying text from screenshots, digitizing printed documents, extracting quotes from images, or converting scanned PDFs to editable text.
Introduction to Image to Text Tool
Upload images to this tool to extraxt text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. You can see the extracted text, copy it to the clipboard or download it as a text file. The tool supports various image formats including JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, and WebP.
The tool uses the Tesseract.js library to process images and extract text. Tesseract.js is a pure JavaScript port of the popular Tesseract OCR engine.
Tesseract.js: Image to Text Conversion
Tesseract.js is a pure JavaScript implementation of the Tesseract OCR (Optical Character Recognition) engine, originally developed by HP and now maintained by Google. It enables the extraction of textual content from images and provides a versatile solution for OCR tasks directly in the browser or on Node.js platforms.
This tool processes images using the Tesseract.js library, handling them one at a time to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Supported image formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, and WebP, making it adaptable to various user needs and source materials.
The OCR process involves several steps, starting with pre-processing the image to enhance text readability. This may include converting to grayscale, adjusting brightness and contrast, and applying filters. Tesseract.js then uses machine learning algorithms to detect and recognize characters and words within the image.
One of the significant advantages of Tesseract.js is its ability to be trained with additional fonts and languages, enhancing its versatility across different text formats and linguistic content. The library supports numerous languages and provides options to customize processing for specific use cases.
It's important to note that while Tesseract.js is powerful, the accuracy of text recognition can vary depending on the quality of the input image and the complexity of the text layout. Optimal results are typically achieved with high-contrast, high-resolution images with minimal noise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about OCR technology, image formats, and text extraction.
What is OCR?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is technology that converts images of text into machine-readable, editable text. It works by analyzing the shapes and patterns of characters in photos, scans, or screenshots. OCR is used to digitize printed documents, extract text from images, enable searchable PDFs, and convert handwriting to typed text.
How does OCR work?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) converts images of text into editable text through: 1) Image preprocessing (deskewing, noise removal), 2) Text detection (finding text regions), 3) Character segmentation, 4) Pattern recognition using neural networks, 5) Post-processing with dictionaries and grammar rules. Modern OCR achieves 99%+ accuracy on clean documents.
How accurate is OCR for handwritten text?
Handwritten text recognition (HTR) is less accurate than printed OCR—typically 70-90% depending on legibility. Factors affecting accuracy: writing style, consistency, image quality, and training data. Cursive is harder than print. Best results come from neatly written text with specialized handwriting recognition engines.
How to convert PDF to editable text
Extract text from PDF files using OCR or direct extraction.
- If PDF has selectable text, simply copy-paste or use "Save as Text"
- For scanned/image PDFs, use OCR: upload to an OCR tool, process, and download editable text
- For multi-page documents, use batch OCR software
- Native text PDFs convert perfectly; scanned PDFs depend on scan quality
Can OCR recognize multiple languages?
Multi-language OCR can recognize text in various languages and scripts including Latin, Cyrillic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and Hebrew. Select the target language(s) for best accuracy. Mixed-language documents work best when you specify all languages present. RTL languages require specific engine support.
