· How-to
How to Read Phone Numbers and Emails From an Image
Pull phone numbers and email addresses out of a photo, flyer or screenshot with free in-browser OCR, then copy them without retyping a single digit.
Photo to Text Converter
Snap a page, sign, label or note with your phone and get the words as editable text. Your photo is read in the browser and never uploaded.
- Phone and iPhone photos
- Auto straighten
- 19 OCR languages
- No upload
Add a photo with text
Supports JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WebP, TIFF, HEIC, HEIF, HEICS
Auto detects the writing system and reads it. For better results, pick the language (up to 3 if the text mixes languages).
Drop a photo here, or take one with your phone camera
or
Max file size: 10MB
More OCR Tools
Convert different image formats to text with our specialized OCR tools
By task
- Screenshot to Text Paste a screenshot, copy its text
- Text Scanner Scan paper to text, no app needed
- Business Card to Text Copy names, numbers and emails from cards
- Receipt to Text Read receipts and invoices as text
- Blurry Image to Text Read text from blurry or low quality images
- Small Text OCR Read tiny print and fine text
- Book to Text Turn book pages into editable text
- Whiteboard to Text Turn whiteboard photos into notes
- Extract Code from Image Copy code from screenshots and photos
By file type
- Multi Image OCR
- PNG to Text Extract text from PNG files
- JPG to Text Extract text from JPG files
- JPEG to Text Extract text from JPEG files
- GIF to Text Extract text from GIF files
- Handwriting to Text Extract handwritten text
- BMP to Text Extract text from BMP files
- TIFF to Text Extract text from TIFF files
- WebP to Text Extract text from WebP files
- HEIF to Text Extract text from HEIF/HEIC files
- HEIC to Text Converter
- HEVC to Text Converter
- HEICS to Text Converter
- Image to Text Convert any image format to text
- PDF to Text Extract text from PDF documents
- Document OCR Advanced document text extraction
Key takeaways
- What is photo to text?
- It uses OCR (optical character recognition) to find the letters in a photo and turn them into text you can copy, edit, search and paste.
- Do phone photos work?
- Yes. Photos are turned upright, straightened and evened out for lighting before reading. iPhone HEIC photos are converted in your browser first.
- What matters most for accuracy?
- A sharp, well lit photo taken straight on. Fill the frame with the text and avoid shadows and glare; the tool handles the rest.
How to convert a photo to text
Take or choose a photo, let the OCR read it, then copy the text. It works the same on a phone and on a computer.
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1. Add your photo
On a phone, tap Choose photo to pick one from your gallery or take a new one. On a computer, drop the file (JPG, PNG, HEIC and more, up to 10 MB).
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2. Extract the text
Click Extract Text. The photo is rotated upright, straightened and cleaned up, then read in the language you chose or detected automatically.
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3. Copy or download
Review the text, correct anything the OCR misread, then copy it or download it as a .txt file.
Made for real photos
Camera pictures are rarely perfect. These steps run automatically before the text is read.
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Turns photos upright
Sideways or upside down? The page orientation is detected and the photo is rotated before reading.
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Straightens tilted pages
Pages shot at a slight angle are straightened (up to 15 degrees), so lines of text read in the right order.
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Evens out lighting
Shadows and uneven light across a page are balanced, and the desk around a photographed sheet is cleaned away.
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iPhone HEIC support
HEIC and HEIF photos from iPhone are converted to JPEG in your browser. No app or setting change needed.
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19 languages
Auto detects the writing system and uses your browser language as a hint, or pick the language yourself.
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Private by design
The photo is processed on your device. Nothing is uploaded, stored or shared.
Why convert photos to text?
What you get
- Text from paper, screens and signs without retyping a word
- Searchable notes from printed pages, labels and handouts
- Works in your phone browser: no app to install
- Free, unlimited and with no account
How to take a photo that reads well
- Hold the phone parallel to the page and fill the frame with the text
- Use daylight or even room light; avoid flash glare on glossy paper
- Tap to focus and keep still; a sharp photo beats a high resolution one
Where photo to text helps
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Study
Turn photos of textbook pages, handouts and lecture slides into notes you can edit.
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Work
Copy text from printed letters, notices and documents you only have on paper.
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Travel
Photograph a sign, menu or timetable and extract the words to translate them.
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Shopping
Capture product labels, serial numbers and ingredients without typing them.
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Home
Save recipes, manuals and warranty cards as text you can search later.
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Accessibility
Get text you can enlarge or read aloud with your device’s screen reader.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Our image to text converter is designed to streamline the process of extracting text from images. However, we understand you might have a few questions. To make the most of this tool, we've compiled some frequently asked questions along with helpful explanations to guide you.
How do I convert a photo to text?
Open this page, choose or drop your photo and click Extract Text. When the result appears, copy it or download it as a .txt file. No account is needed.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. Open the page in Safari, Chrome or any mobile browser and tap Choose photo. You can pick a photo from your gallery or take a new one with the camera.
Does it work with iPhone HEIC photos?
Yes. HEIC and HEIF photos are converted to JPEG in your browser before OCR, so you can use them straight from your iPhone. See also HEIC to Text.
My photo is sideways or tilted. Will it still work?
Yes. The page orientation is detected and the photo is rotated upright, and small tilts of up to 15 degrees are straightened before reading.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. The OCR engine runs in your browser, so the photo stays on your device. That makes it safe for letters, IDs and other private documents.
Why is the text from my photo wrong?
Blur, shadows and very small text are the usual causes.
- Retake the photo in better light, holding the phone steady.
- Move closer so the text fills the frame.
- For blurred photos, see Blurry Image to Text.
The confidence score under the result shows when a retake will help.
Can it read handwriting in photos?
Neat, print-style handwriting can be read; joined cursive is harder. The Handwriting to Text page has tips for notes.