Guide
Image to Text Converter — Free OCR Online
Extract editable text from any photo, screenshot, or scanned document — instantly, in your browser
4 min read · June 2026
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) lets you extract editable text from any image — a photo of a document, a textbook page, a signboard, or a screenshot. Instead of manually typing out text from an image, you can extract it in seconds and copy it anywhere.
What Can You Extract Text From?
Scanned PDFs
Scanned certificates, admit cards, marksheets
Textbook Photos
NCERT pages, study material photographs
Screenshots
App screenshots, error messages, WhatsApp chats
Bills & Receipts
Shop bills, bank statements, electricity bills
How to Use the Image to Text Tool
Step 2Upload Your Image
Click the upload area and select your image. Supports JPG, PNG, WEBP. Make sure the image is clear and the text is legible — blurry images give poor results.
Step 3Wait for OCR Processing
The tool uses Tesseract.js to process the image entirely in your browser. A progress bar shows the recognition status. This takes 5–20 seconds depending on image size and device speed.
Step 4Copy or Download the Text
Once extraction is complete, the text appears in an editable box. Copy it directly or click Download to save as a .txt file.
Best Practice: For best accuracy, ensure the image has good lighting, no shadows, and text that is horizontally aligned. Cropping out unnecessary background before uploading also helps.
Tips for Better OCR Accuracy
- Use images with dark text on white/light background — high contrast works best
- Avoid images where text is at an angle — straighten the image before uploading
- Higher resolution images (at least 150 DPI for scanned documents) give better results
- For phone photos, take the photo in good natural light and hold the camera steady
- If accuracy is poor, try cropping just the text area and uploading that
Common Use Cases in India
Students: Photograph an NCERT chapter → extract text → paste into Google Docs for notes or summarization. Much faster than typing.
Professionals: Photo of a visiting card → extract phone number and email → save to contacts.
Job seekers: Scanned experience letter → extract text → edit and reformat in Word.
Small businesses: Photo of electricity or phone bill → extract account number and due date.
When OCR Does Not Work Well
Handwritten text: OCR is designed for printed/typed text. Handwritten content is rarely extracted accurately.
Very small fonts: Text below 10pt in the image will likely be misread or skipped.
Stylized fonts: Decorative fonts, logos, or watermarks may not be recognized correctly.
Low light or blurry images: Phone photos taken in dim light produce poor results. Use good lighting or a scanner.
Is the Image Uploaded Anywhere?
No. This tool uses Tesseract.js — an open-source OCR library that runs entirely inside your browser using JavaScript. Your image never leaves your device. No file is sent to any server. Once you close the tab, nothing is stored.
Troubleshooting
Processing is very slow
OCR runs on your device's processor. Large images (above 5MB) or older devices may be slow. Try reducing image size before uploading.
Extracted text has many errors
Improve image quality. Crop to just the text area. Ensure good contrast. Re-scan or re-photograph with better lighting.
Hindi/regional language text not extracted correctly
The default OCR model is optimized for English. Hindi (Devanagari) and other scripts may have lower accuracy. This is a known limitation of the tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
What image formats does this tool support?
JPG, PNG, and WEBP formats are supported. For best results use JPG or PNG scanned at 150 DPI or higher.
Can I extract text from a PDF?
If your PDF has digital (selectable) text, use our PDF to Text tool — it's faster and more accurate. This OCR tool is best for image-based documents where text cannot be selected.
What types of images work best with OCR?
Clear, high-resolution images with dark text on a white or light background work best. Blurry images, handwritten text, or very small fonts may produce less accurate results.
Can it extract text from Hindi or regional language images?
The tool primarily works well with English printed text. Hindi and other Devanagari script may have lower accuracy depending on image quality.
Is my image uploaded to any server?
No. OCR processing happens entirely in your browser using Tesseract.js. Your image never leaves your device.
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