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Is Image to Text AI? How OCR Reads Your Photos
Is photo to text AI? Yes, a small neural network reads each line. How Tesseract's LSTM works, how it differs from AI chatbots, and what that means for you.
WhatsApp Image to Text
Someone sent you a photo of a document, a timetable or a list? Copy its text instead of retyping it. The image is read in your browser, so private chat photos never leave your device.
- Chat photos and status
- No upload
- 19 OCR languages
- Copy, .txt or .docx
Add the WhatsApp photo or 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).
Drop a saved chat photo or a screenshot here, or press Ctrl+V
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
- Image to Word Photo or scan to an editable .docx file
- Instagram Image to Text Copy text from posts, stories and captions
By language
- Urdu Image to Text Urdu OCR with Urdu preselected
- Arabic Image to Text Arabic OCR with Arabic preselected
- Persian Image to Text Farsi OCR with Persian preselected
- Hindi Image to Text Devanagari OCR with Hindi preselected
- Chinese Image to Text Chinese OCR, Simplified or Traditional
- Japanese Image to Text Japanese OCR with Japanese preselected
- Korean Image to Text Korean OCR with Korean preselected
- Bengali Image to Text Bangla OCR with Bengali preselected
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
What to expect from WhatsApp images
Two kinds of WhatsApp images come up most: a photo someone took of a document, and a screenshot of a chat. Both work, with different catches.
Photos sent in a chat are usually compressed to save data, which softens small print. A full page photographed from a distance can come out blurry once it arrives. If the text matters, ask the sender to send it as a document instead of a photo; WhatsApp then keeps the original file, and you can add that file here.
With a chat screenshot, the OCR reads everything it sees:
- Times and ticks. Message times are read with the text, and read ticks may turn into stray letters. Delete them after copying, or crop them out first.
- Emoji and stickers. They are not recognized and come out as a stray character or nothing.
- Names in group chats. Sender names are read as separate lines above each message.
Voice notes and videos are not read. This page is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta; it reads images you already have on your device.
How to copy text from a WhatsApp image
Get the image onto this page, extract the text, then copy it back into WhatsApp or anywhere else.
Last updated:
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1. Save or screenshot the image
Open the photo in the chat and save it, or take a screenshot of it. For a status, hold it to pause, then take a screenshot. On WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, open the photo and download it.
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2. Add it here
Choose the image with the button, drop it on the box or paste it with Ctrl+V (up to 10 MB). Leave the language on Auto or pick the language of the text.
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3. Extract and copy
Click Extract Text, check the result and fix any misread words, then copy it or download it as .txt or .docx.
Tips for WhatsApp images
Getting a clean image
- Use the photo saved from the chat, not a screenshot of a photo, which loses more detail
- Zoom into a photo of a page before taking a screenshot of it
- Ask for a document upload when the text is long or small
Before you extract
- Crop to the message or the part of the page you need
- For faint print, tick Black and white under the language picker and extract again
- A whole conversation in several screenshots? Multi Image OCR reads up to 20 at once
Where it helps
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School and work notices
Turn a photo of a letter, a schedule or a notice board into text you can save or forward.
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Addresses and numbers
Copy an address, a booking code or a phone number from a chat photo without typing errors.
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Lists and receipts
Paste a shopping list or a photographed receipt into a note or a spreadsheet. For receipts, see receipt to text.
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Status images
Keep the text of a status, like an announcement or opening hours, after it expires.
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 WhatsApp image?
Save the photo from the chat or take a screenshot of it, add it to the tool above and click Extract Text. The text appears in a box where you can edit and copy it, then paste it back into WhatsApp or any other app.
Why is the text from a WhatsApp photo blurry or wrong?
Photos are compressed when they are sent, and small print is the first thing to suffer. Ask the sender to share the file as a document, or for a photo of just the part you need, taken closer. The JPG to text page has more tips on sharp phone photos.
Can I copy text from a WhatsApp status?
Yes. Hold the status to pause it, take a screenshot, then add the screenshot here. Text on a plain colored background reads well; text over a photo may need a few corrections.
Are my WhatsApp photos uploaded anywhere?
No. The OCR runs in your browser, so the image and the text stay on your device. That matters for chat photos of IDs, bills or medical letters.