Free Image to Text Converter (OCR)

How to use it

1. Choose the language of the text in your image. Search the full list, or pick up to three for mixed text such as English and Urdu.
2. Drop an image into the box, click to choose one, or paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V.
3. Wait for the progress bar. The first run downloads the language data, so it takes a little longer.
4. Check the text, then copy it or download it as a .txt file.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert a picture to text?

Choose the language of the text, drop in the picture or paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V, wait for the progress bar, then copy the text or download it as a .txt file. It works on JPG, PNG and WebP images.

Can I convert a JPG or screenshot to text without installing anything?

Yes. The conversion runs in your browser, so there is nothing to install and no account to make. The image is not uploaded anywhere.

Is this OCR tool free?

Yes, with no sign-up and no limit on the number of images.

Is my image uploaded?

No. The text is recognised in your browser. Only the OCR engine and language data are downloaded the first time you use it.

Which languages are supported?

Over 120, including English, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Persian, Punjabi, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German and Russian. Pick up to three at once for mixed text.

How do I get the best results?

Use a sharp, well-lit image with the text straight and large enough to read. Crop out everything except the text. Handwriting and decorative fonts are recognised less reliably than printed text.

Can it read a scanned PDF?

Take a screenshot of the page, or export it as an image, then drop the image here. For PDFs that already contain text, use the PDF to CSV tool instead.