Free Online OCR – Extract Text from Images
OCR (optical character recognition) reads the letters in a picture and turns them into text you can select, edit and copy. Use this OCR online tool to extract text from an image such as a screenshot, a scanned page or a photo of a document.
Pick the language of the text, run the OCR in your browser, and review the result. Accuracy depends on how clear the image is.
Drop an image here or click to browse
PNG, JPG or WebP — clear images work best
Processing...
The first run for a language can take longer while the engine and language data load.
Supported file types and languages
What this OCR tool can read.
Image files
One image at a time. Other image formats your browser can open may also work. PDFs are not read directly. Convert PDF pages to images with the PDF to JPG tool first.
Recognition languages
Choose one language per run. For mixed text, pick the main language of the image.
How to extract text from an image
Four steps, on phone or computer.
Add your image
Drop an image into the box, or tap it to choose a file.
Check the preview
Make sure it is the right image and the text is readable.
Choose the language
Select the language of the text and the output format.
Extract and review
Press Extract Text, then check the result and copy or download it.
Tips for better text recognition
Small changes to the image make a big difference.
- Use a sharp image. Hold the camera steady and keep the text in focus.
- Light the page evenly. Avoid shadows and glare across the text.
- Keep lines straight. Rotate the image so the text runs horizontally.
- Use enough resolution. Tiny or heavily compressed images lose letter detail.
- Crop to the text. Use Batch Crop to remove borders and background.
- Match the language. The wrong language setting is a common cause of garbled output.
- Always proofread. OCR can misread characters, so check names, numbers and punctuation.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about accuracy and privacy.
How accurate is the OCR?
It depends on the image. Sharp, well-lit, straight text in a common font usually works well. Blurry photos, handwriting, decorative fonts and complex layouts can cause mistakes, so always check the text before you use it.
Is my image uploaded to a server?
The text is recognized in your browser and your image is not sent to our servers. Your browser does download the OCR engine and the language data it needs from a public CDN.
Which languages are supported?
English, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Spanish, French, German and Chinese (Simplified). Choose the language that matches the text in your image.
Can I extract text from a PDF?
This tool reads images. Convert the PDF pages to images with the PDF to JPG tool first, then upload them here.
Why did the tool find no text or wrong text?
The image may be too small, blurry or low in contrast, or the wrong language may be selected. Try a clearer image, crop closer to the text, or change the language.
Related tools
Prepare your image or work with the text afterwards.