You can extract text from pictures using built-in tools on most devices, or free online services if your device doesn't have the feature

Most phones and computers now have a way to read text out of images without typing it by hand. On iPhones and iPads, you use the Camera app or Photos app. On Android phones, Google Lens does this. On Windows computers, the Snipping Tool has this built in. On Macs, you can use the Screenshot tool. If none of those work for your device, free websites like Google Lens or Tesseract can process an image you upload.

The text comes out as regular text you can paste into an email, document, or search box. The accuracy depends on the image quality — clear, straight-on photos work better than blurry ones or pictures taken at an angle.

Key Takeaways

  • iPhones and iPads can extract text from pictures using the Camera app (point at the image) or the Photos app (select an existing photo).
  • Android phones use Google Lens, which you can open from the Google app, Google Assistant, or your camera app depending on your phone model.
  • Windows computers have text extraction in the Snipping Tool — take a screenshot of the image and look for the text icon.
  • Mac computers can extract text from screenshots using the Screenshot tool, or from any image using the Markup tool.
  • Free websites like Google Lens and Tesseract work on any device with a web browser if your device doesn't have a built-in option.

How to copy text from a picture on iPhone or iPad

Open the Camera app and point it at the image or text you want to copy. You will see a small icon that looks like a star with lines around it appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. Tap that icon, then tap "Copy" to copy all the text in the frame.

If you already have the picture saved on your phone, open the Photos app instead. Find the photo, tap it to open it, then tap "Copy Text" in the bottom right corner. The text will go to your clipboard and you can paste it anywhere — into Notes, Mail, Messages, or any other app.

This feature works on iPhone XS and newer, and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) and newer. If you have an older device, you will need to use a website or app instead.

How to copy text from a picture on Android

Open Google Lens by opening the Google app and tapping the Lens icon, or by opening your camera app and looking for a Lens button. Point the camera at the text or image you want to copy. Google Lens will highlight the text it recognizes.

Tap the text you want to copy. A menu will appear with options including "Copy." Tap that option and the text goes to your clipboard. You can now paste it into any app on your phone.

If your phone does not have Google Lens built in, you can download the Google Lens app from the Google Play Store for free. Some Samsung phones have their own text extraction tool called "Text" in the camera app — it works the same way.

How to copy text from a picture on Windows

Open the Snipping Tool (search for it in the Start menu). Click "New" and drag to select the area of the screen that contains the text you want to copy. Release the mouse button when you have selected the area.

Look at the toolbar at the top of the snipped image. You will see an icon that looks like a document with lines on it — that is the text extraction tool. Click it. The tool will read the text in the image and show it in a new window. Select all the text (Ctrl+A), copy it (Ctrl+C), and paste it wherever you need it.

This feature is built into Windows 11 and Windows 10 (version 1903 and later). If you have an older version of Windows, you can use a free website like Google Lens instead.

How to copy text from a picture on Mac

Take a screenshot of the area containing the text. Press Shift+Command+4, then drag to select the area. A thumbnail will appear in the corner of your screen. Click it to open the screenshot in the Preview window.

In the Preview window, go to Tools menu and select "Text" (or press Command+T). The text in the image will become selectable. Click and drag to select the text you want, then copy it (Command+C) and paste it where you need it.

Alternatively, if you already have the image saved, open it in Preview, go to Tools, select "Text," and select the text the same way. This works on macOS 10.15 and newer.

Using free websites to copy text from pictures

If your device does not have a built-in text extraction tool, you can use Google Lens online. Go to lens.google.com in any web browser, click the camera icon, and upload an image from your computer or phone. Google Lens will read the text and display it on the page. You can then select and copy it.

Another option is Tesseract, an open-source text recognition tool. Websites like OCR.space and Tesseract.js let you upload an image for free and extract the text. These work on any device with a web browser, including older phones and computers.

The downside of website tools is that they require you to upload the image, which takes a few seconds longer than using a built-in tool. The accuracy is usually similar to what your device would produce.

Why the text might not copy correctly

Text extraction works best when the image is clear, well-lit, and taken straight-on. If the text is blurry, at an angle, very small, or in a fancy font, the tool may miss letters or read them wrong. Handwriting is especially difficult — most tools will not recognize it at all.

If the text does not copy correctly, try taking a new photo with better lighting and a steadier angle. Move closer to the text so it fills more of the frame. If the image is already saved, you can try uploading it to a different tool to see if another one reads it better.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I copy text from a video?

On iPhone, you can pause the video and use the Camera app to point at the paused frame, or take a screenshot and extract text from that. On Android, take a screenshot of the video frame and use Google Lens on the screenshot. On computer, take a screenshot of the video and use your device's text extraction tool.

Does copying text from pictures work with other languages?

Yes. Google Lens recognizes text in over 100 languages. iPhone and Mac tools also support multiple languages. The accuracy depends on the language and how clear the text is in the image.

Is there a limit to how much text I can copy at once?

No hard limit exists, but tools work best with smaller amounts of text. If you are trying to copy a full page of text, take multiple photos or screenshots and extract them one at a time.

What if the website says the image is too large to upload?

Resize the image to make the file smaller. On most phones, you can do this by opening the image in Photos, tapping Edit, and taking a screenshot of the resized preview. On computer, you can use free tools like Pixlr or Canva to resize before uploading.

Can I copy text from a PDF instead of a picture?

Yes, but PDFs usually let you select and copy text directly without needing a special tool. Open the PDF, click and drag to select the text, then copy it. If the PDF is an image (a scanned document), use the same text extraction methods as you would for a picture.