Create & edit · Free
Screenshot to text – paste a screenshot, copy the text
Paste a screenshot and copy the text out of it, from Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android. Free, in your browser, without uploading the screenshot.
- No account
- Runs on your device
- Phone & desktop
Read text from a screenshot
Stays on your device
Paste a screenshot here
PNG, JPG, WebP, BMP or GIF · several at once · Ctrl+V or Cmd+V pastes
Windows: Win+Shift+S. Mac: Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4. Then paste here. Phone screenshots: choose them from your photos.
Your images
Each image is read in full. To read only part of it, drag across the picture; on a touch screen, tap Select part first.
Recognized text
Your images stay private. They are read on this device and never uploaded. The first time, the text engine (about 4 MB) and one language file (0.7–3 MB) load from this website.
Printed text works best. Neat handwriting is read only sometimes. PDF files and translation are not built in: take a screenshot of a PDF page, and paste the finished text into your translator.
How to convert a screenshot to text
Take the screenshot
On Windows press Win+Shift+S and select an area. On a Mac, Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4 copies the area you select. On a phone, take a screenshot as usual.
Paste it here
Press Paste screenshot, or Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac) anywhere on this page. A phone screenshot is easiest with Choose images.
Copy the text
Press Read text, check the result, then copy it or save it as a .txt file.
Why screenshots read so well
Screen text is sharp, straight and sits on an even background, which is exactly what text recognition likes. That is why the image preparation is switched off on this page. Three cases need a hand:
- Tiny text: switch on Enlarge small images, or zoom in before you take the screenshot.
- Dark mode: switch on Boost contrast; it turns light text on a dark background into dark text on a light one.
- Text over a photo or a gradient: drag across the picture to read only the text area.
Screenshot to text on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
| Device | Take the screenshot | Bring it here |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Win+Shift+S, then select an area | Ctrl+V on this page |
| Mac | Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4, then select an area | Cmd+V on this page |
| iPhone | Side button and volume up (with a Home button: Home and side button) | Choose images, then pick it from Photos |
| Android | Power and volume down on most phones | Choose images, then pick it from the gallery |
On a Mac, Cmd+Shift+4 without Ctrl saves the screenshot as a file on the desktop instead; drop that file on the box.
Copy text from chats, error messages and slides
- Error messages in a window that will not let you select the text: read it here and paste it into a search.
- Chats and comments in apps that block copying.
- Slides shared in a video call or a frame of a tutorial video.
- Code from a screenshot: indentation is often lost, and characters such as l, 1 and I or O and 0 are easy to confuse, so test before you run it.
Several screenshots of a long chat or article
Add them all before you press Read text: each Ctrl+V adds another image, and Choose images takes several files at once. They are read in the order you added them, and each part starts with a line naming its file. Switch on Join broken lines for continuous paragraphs, then delete the lines that appear twice where two screenshots overlap.
More AI Text Scanner pages
Frequently asked questions
Is the screenshot to text converter free?
Yes, free with no account and no limit on screenshots. It runs in your browser, so you can use it as often as you like.
Can I paste a screenshot directly?
Yes. After Win+Shift+S on Windows or Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4 on a Mac, press Ctrl+V or Cmd+V anywhere on this page. If you use the Paste screenshot button, your browser may ask once whether the page may see the clipboard.
Does it work with dark mode screenshots?
Yes, but switch on Boost contrast first. It turns light text on a dark background into dark text on a light one, which the engine reads more reliably.
Is my screenshot uploaded?
No. The screenshot is read in your browser and never sent anywhere. Only the text engine and the language file are downloaded from this website the first time.
