Last updated: October 2026
Image to text converter online free — extract or edit
Short answer: drop a photo or screenshot into the box above, paste one from your clipboard, or tap Load sample image. Pick the OCR language, then choose Extract Text to get editable text you can copy or download as .txt — or Edit Text on Image to click any detected word, type a correction, and download the fixed photo as PNG or JPEG. The OCR engine (Tesseract.js) downloads once and runs entirely in your browser; your image is never uploaded.
How it works
1. Add an image three ways: drag & drop it onto the box, tap the box to choose a file (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP), or paste a screenshot straight from your clipboard with Ctrl/Cmd+V. On your phone, tapping opens your photo library. 2. Pick the OCR language — English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Hindi or Chinese (Simplified) — and pick a mode. 3. Click the main button. The first run downloads the OCR engine and language data (one-time, cached after that); the progress bar shows each stage. 4a. In Extract mode, the text lands in an editable box with live word/character counts — copy it or download a .txt. 4b. In Edit mode, every detected word gets a clickable highlight box on the image: click a word, type the fix, hit Apply, and download the edited image.
Extract text vs edit text on image
Extract Text is the classic OCR workflow: photo in, text out. Use it to digitize receipts, business cards and photographed notes, grab text from screenshots you can't select, or convert a page of a book into something you can search and quote. The output box is fully editable, so you can fix the occasional misread character before copying.
Edit Text on Image is the rarer trick — most free tools only extract. Here the OCR also records where each word sits. Click a word and the tool erases it (filling the exact background color sampled around it) and paints your replacement text back in, sized to fit the original box and colored to match the original text. Fix a typo on a screenshot, update a price on a product photo, or correct a label — without opening a photo editor. It shines on plain printed text (receipts, signs, slides, memes); decorative or stylized fonts won't be cloned.
OCR accuracy tips
OCR is pattern matching, and a little prep goes a long way. Straighten the photo — skewed text is the #1 accuracy killer. Get close — text smaller than about 20 pixels tall gets guessed, not read. Watch the contrast — dark text on a light background reads best; glare and shadows confuse it. Pick the right language — running the English model on Spanish text produces confident garbage. Crop to the text if the photo is mostly background; less noise means fewer false words. And always proofread anything that matters — that's why both the extracted text and every edited word stay editable until you download.
Frequently asked questions
How do I extract text from an image online for free?
Drop your photo into the box above (or paste a screenshot, or tap Load sample image), pick the OCR language, and click Extract text. The recognized text appears in the editable box below — copy it or download it as a .txt file. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Can I edit text directly on the image?
Yes — switch to the Edit Text on Image tab and click Scan words on image. Every detected word gets a clickable highlight box. Click a word, type the correction in the editor, and hit Apply — the tool erases the old word and paints your new text into the photo. Download the fixed image as PNG or JPEG when you are done.
How does the text replacement work — will it match the original font?
The tool samples the background color around the word and fills the word's box with it, then draws your replacement text in a clean sans-serif sized to fit the box, colored to match the original text. It will not perfectly clone a fancy or stylized font — it looks natural on plain printed text like receipts, labels, screenshots and documents, and less so on decorative typography.
Is my photo uploaded to a server when I use this OCR tool?
No. The OCR engine (Tesseract.js) downloads to your browser and runs entirely on your device — your image never leaves your device, is never sent to a server, and is never stored.
Which languages can the OCR recognize?
English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Hindi and Chinese (Simplified). Pick the right one before scanning — the wrong language model produces garbled output. The first time you use a language, its data file downloads once (a few MB) and is cached.
How accurate is the extracted text?
On clean printed text — screenshots, documents, receipts, signs — it is typically 95%+ accurate. Accuracy drops on blurry photos, skewed or tiny text, fancy fonts, and handwriting, which it cannot reliably read. Always proofread anything important; that is why the output box is editable.
What image formats can I upload?
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF and BMP — anything your browser can display, including pasted screenshots. Very large photos work but scan slower; the sample image is there if you just want to try it.
Can it read handwriting or screenshots?
Screenshots with clear text work great. Handwriting is the weak spot — the engine is trained on printed text, so cursive or messy handwriting usually comes out garbled. Neat block capitals can sometimes work.
Why does the first scan take a while?
The first run downloads the OCR engine and the language data (English is about 10–15 MB) — that can take 10–30 seconds on a slow connection. After that it is cached in your browser and scans start instantly. The progress bar shows exactly which stage it is on.
What can I do with the extracted text?
Copy the text to your clipboard for pasting anywhere, or download it as a plain .txt file. Common uses: digitizing receipts and business cards, grabbing text from screenshots, converting photographed notes, and fixing typos on images with the edit mode instead of re-creating the graphic.
