· 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.
Screenshot to Text Converter
Take a screenshot, paste it here and copy the text. The OCR runs in your browser, so the screenshot never leaves your device.
- Paste with Ctrl+V
- No upload
- 19 OCR languages
- Copy or download .txt
Paste or drop your screenshot
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).
Press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac) or drop a screenshot here
or
Max file size: 10MB
More OCR Tools
Convert different image formats to text with our specialized OCR tools
By task
- Photo to Text Read text from phone camera photos
- 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 does screenshot to text do?
- It reads the words in a screenshot with OCR (optical character recognition) and gives them back as plain text you can select, edit, copy and paste.
- Why do screenshots convert so well?
- Screen text is sharp, straight and evenly lit, which is exactly what OCR reads best. Most screenshots need little or no correction afterwards.
- Is it private?
- Yes. The screenshot is read by OCR running inside your browser and is not uploaded to a server, which matters for chats, emails and dashboards.
How to convert a screenshot to text
Three steps, no account: capture the screen, paste or drop the screenshot here, then copy the text.
Last updated:
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1. Take the screenshot
Windows: Win+Shift+S. Mac: Cmd+Shift+4 (add Ctrl to copy it). Phone: power + volume down. Crop to the text you need if you can.
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2. Paste it here
Press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac), click Paste from clipboard, or drop the file (up to 10 MB). Then click Extract Text.
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3. Copy the text
Check the result, fix anything the OCR misread, then copy it or download it as a .txt file.
Built for screenshots
Everything a screenshot needs, and nothing that slows you down.
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Paste straight from the clipboard
No need to save the screenshot as a file first. Copy it to the clipboard and press Ctrl+V on this page.
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Stays on your device
The OCR engine (Tesseract) runs in your browser. Private chats, bank pages and work tools are not sent anywhere.
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19 languages
Auto detects the writing system, or pick the language yourself. Mixed text? Combine up to 3 languages.
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Dark mode handled
Light text on a dark background is detected and inverted before reading, so dark mode screenshots work too.
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Copy or download
Copy the text in one click or download a UTF-8 .txt file, with word and character counts.
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Confidence score
Each result shows how sure the OCR is. A low score comes with tips to get a cleaner read.
Why use a screenshot to text tool?
What you get
- Text you cannot select: images, videos, locked PDFs and apps that block copying
- No retyping of error messages, addresses, codes or long quotes
- Works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone
- Free, with no account and no watermark
Tips for a perfect result
- Crop to the text before you paste: less clutter, fewer mistakes
- Zoom in on very small text before taking the screenshot
- Pick the language yourself if the text mixes scripts
Where screenshot to text helps
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Chats and social posts
Copy a message, comment or caption that the app will not let you select.
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Error messages
Grab the exact error text from a dialog box so you can search for it or paste it into a ticket.
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Research and notes
Pull quotes out of slides, videos and webinars for your notes, with the wording intact.
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Translation
Extract the text first, then paste only the words into your translator.
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Forms and documents
Copy details from a protected PDF or a scanned form shown on screen.
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Saving time
Turn a long screenshot of instructions into text you can edit and reuse.
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 copy text from a screenshot?
Take the screenshot, open this page and press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac) or drop the file. Click Extract Text, then copy the result or download it as a .txt file.
How do I take a screenshot straight to the clipboard?
Most systems can copy a screenshot without saving it:
- Windows 10 and 11: Win+Shift+S, then select an area.
- Mac: Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4, then select an area.
- Chromebook: Ctrl+Shift+Show windows.
- Phone: take a normal screenshot, then share it to your browser or choose it with the upload button.
Does it work with dark mode screenshots?
Yes. Before reading, the image is converted to grayscale and light text on a dark background is inverted, which is what the OCR engine reads best.
Can I convert several screenshots at once?
Yes. Use Multi Image OCR to read up to 20 screenshots in one run and download all the text together.
Is my screenshot uploaded anywhere?
No. The OCR runs in your browser with WebAssembly. Your screenshot is not sent to a server, so it is safe to use with private conversations and work documents.
Why are some words wrong?
Very small text, busy backgrounds and stylised fonts are the usual causes.
- Crop to the text you need before pasting.
- Zoom in on tiny text, then take the screenshot again.
- Choose the text language instead of Auto for mixed or rare scripts.
The confidence score under the result tells you when a retake is worth it.
Can it read code from a screenshot?
Yes, but check symbols and indentation afterwards. The Extract Code from Image page has tips for code screenshots.