Drop pictures here
or
.jpg, .png, .webp and iPhone .heic · screenshots and photos of text · nothing leaves your device
What this does
Drop in a picture that has words in it — a screenshot, a photo of a page, a sign, a receipt — and the page reads the words out for you as text you can copy, edit and save. It works on your own device, so your picture is never sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Choose the language the words are written in.
- Drop your picture onto the box, or press Choose pictures.
- Watch the bar. The first time, the page gets its reading files, which takes a moment; after that it starts straight away.
- The words appear under the picture. Press Copy text, or Save .txt to keep them as a file.
Getting text out of a picture
Optical character recognition, or OCR, is the technology that reads letters in a picture and turns them into text you can edit. It is useful for screenshots, scanned pages, photos of signs, notes, receipts and book pages when you would rather copy the words than retype them. The reading is done by a small program that runs on your own device.
Getting the best accuracy
OCR works best on clear, straight, well-lit pictures with dark printed text on a plain background. Take photos of pages from directly above, avoid glare and shadows and fill the frame with the text. Choose the correct language before you start, because the program uses it to recognise the letters. Handwriting, curved pages, decorative fonts and very small text are much harder, so always read the result and correct it.
Languages
The page supports English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Hindi and Arabic. Each language needs a small reading file, which is fetched the first time you use it and then kept by your browser.
Privacy
Your picture is read inside your browser and is not uploaded. You can copy the text or save it as a .txt file.
Related tips
Questions people ask
Which pictures work best?
Clear, straight, well-lit pictures with dark printed text on a plain background, such as a screenshot or a scan. Handwriting, curved pages, glare, and very small or blurry text are much harder, so check the result before you rely on it.
Why is the first picture slower?
The reading is done by a small program that runs on your own device, so it has to be downloaded once (a few megabytes). Your browser keeps it, so the next time it starts straight away.
Which languages are there?
English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Hindi and Arabic. Pick the one that matches the words in the picture, or the result will be jumbled.
Can I use iPhone photos?
Yes. iPhone photos are converted first and then read.
Is my picture uploaded?
No. The reading happens inside your browser, so your picture never leaves your device.
Can I fix mistakes?
Yes. The text appears in a box you can edit before you copy or save it.