Free Image to Text (OCR)
Upload a photo, screenshot, or scanned document and extract its text. Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded. Free, no sign-up, no page limit.
Click to choose an image or drag and drop it here
First use downloads the recognition engine (a few seconds to a minute depending on connection); it's cached by your browser after that.
Why extract text for free instead of a paid OCR service
Services like OCR.ac or ImageToText.io charge $6-44/month based on how many images you process, because they run recognition on their own servers. This tool uses a recognition engine that runs directly in your browser instead — the same core, real OCR technology, with no per-image charge and nothing uploaded.
Getting the best results
- Good lighting and contrast — dark text on a light background works best.
- Straight angle — a photo taken at a steep angle reduces accuracy; try to shoot it flat-on.
- Printed text over handwriting — standard fonts are recognized far more reliably than handwriting or heavily stylized text.
- Higher resolution — a clearer, higher-resolution photo generally improves results.
Frequently asked questions
Is my image uploaded to a server? No — text recognition runs entirely inside your browser. Your image never leaves your device.
Why does the first scan take longer than the next one? The first use downloads the recognition engine, which your browser then caches. Later scans in the same browser start faster.
What kind of images work best? Clear, well-lit, high-contrast text with a straight (not skewed) angle gives the most accurate results. Handwriting and stylized fonts are recognized less reliably than printed text.
Is there a limit on how many images I can process? No daily limit — process as many images as you need, one at a time.
How to extract text from an image
- Choose a photo, screenshot or scan, or drag it onto the upload area.
- Wait while the recognition engine reads the image. The first run downloads the engine, so it takes longer.
- Review the extracted text in the result box and fix any mistakes.
- Copy the text or download it as a .txt file.
How OCR works
Optical character recognition (OCR) analyses an image for shapes that look like letters, groups them into words and lines, and outputs them as editable text. Modern engines compare each shape with trained models of characters and use language knowledge to choose the most likely word. This tool runs the recognition engine in your browser, so your image is never uploaded.
What makes OCR accurate
| Factor | Best practice |
|---|---|
| Resolution | Text should be sharp, with letters at least around 20–30 pixels tall. |
| Contrast | Dark text on a plain light background works best. |
| Angle | Photograph the page straight on, not tilted. |
| Lighting | Avoid shadows, glare and creases across the text. |
| Fonts | Clean printed fonts read well; handwriting and decorative fonts are much less reliable. |
Good uses for image to text
- Copying text from a screenshot, slide or scanned handout.
- Pulling a quote out of a photographed book page.
- Digitising receipts or printed notes so you can search them.
- Extracting text from pages you first converted with PDF to JPG.
More questions
Does it work for handwriting? Handwriting is much harder than printed text, and results vary widely. Neat block lettering gives the best chance; cursive often needs heavy correction.
Can it read languages other than English? Accuracy depends on the language support of the recognition engine. English printed text is the most reliable, so always proofread the output, especially numbers and names.
Why are there small mistakes in the output? OCR can confuse similar characters such as O and 0 or l and 1. Read through the result before relying on it, particularly for figures.