Image to Text

Extract English text from an image using OCR (optical character recognition), right in your browser. Upload a photo of text, wait a moment, and get editable, copyable text.

Click or drag a photo here

Text is read locally with OCR. Nothing is uploaded

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Why use Image to Text?

This tool uses Tesseract.js, an open-source OCR engine, to read text out of an uploaded image entirely within your browser. When you drop in a photo or screenshot, the code checks that the file is actually an image, then a worker loads the English language data and scans the picture, reporting its progress as a percentage while it works. Nothing is uploaded to a server at any point, the recognition happens on your own device from start to finish, and the worker shuts itself down once it is done. Once the worker finishes, the recognized text lands in an editable box next to a preview of your image, so you can compare the two and fix any misreads before copying. Results depend heavily on the source photo, a clear, well-lit, high-contrast image reads far more accurately than a blurry, dim, or low-resolution one, and the tool will say so if it cannot make sense of a picture. For a version that also translates the extracted text into another language, see the Photo Translator tool.

Key benefits

OCR runs entirely in your browser using Tesseract.js, no image is ever uploaded to a server
Live progress percentage while the worker reads your image
Editable output so you can fix any OCR mistakes before copying
A preview of the uploaded image sits next to the extracted text for easy comparison
No signup required, free to use

Features

Client-side OCR powered by the Tesseract.js English model
File-type check that rejects non-image uploads with a clear message
Live percentage progress indicator during recognition
Image preview shown alongside the extracted text
Editable, copyable text output with a one-click Copy button

Popular use cases

Extracting text from a screenshot
Digitizing text from a photographed document or sign
Pulling a quote or passage out of an image
Turning a photo of a whiteboard or handwritten note into editable text

How to use Image to Text

1
Upload an image
Click or drag an image containing English text. The tool checks that the file is an image before starting.
2
OCR runs in your browser
A Tesseract.js worker loads the English language data and reads the picture, showing a live progress percentage.
3
Review the extracted text
The recognized text appears in an editable box next to a preview of your image, so you can compare and fix mistakes.
4
Copy the text
Click Copy Text to grab the result for pasting elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

What languages are supported?

This version reads English text. Clear, well-lit, high-contrast text extracts most accurately.

Is my image uploaded anywhere?

No. OCR processing happens entirely in your browser with Tesseract.js, the image is never sent to a server.

Why did the text come out with mistakes?

OCR accuracy depends heavily on image quality, blurry, low-resolution, or low-contrast images are harder to read correctly. You can edit the extracted text to fix errors.

What image formats can I upload?

Any standard browser-supported image format works, such as JPG, PNG, or WebP. The tool checks that the file is an image before processing it.

Can I edit the text after it is extracted?

Yes. The result appears in an editable textarea, so you can correct any misread characters before copying it.

Related guides

Scanned PDF to Editable Text: What OCR Is and When You Need It

Last reviewed: July 2026

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