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Image to Text (OCR)

Read the words out of a photo or screenshot.

  • Free
  • No signup
  • Nothing uploaded
  • No watermark

Drop files here

Photos or screenshots · read on your device, never uploaded

Works on photos, screenshots and scans. Accuracy depends almost entirely on the input: sharp, straight, well-lit text with the right language set reads near-perfectly, and a blurry angled photo does not.

Processed entirely on your device. Nothing was uploaded.

How to Convert Image to Text (OCR) Online

Image to Text (OCR): before and after IMG A IMG FILE IMAGE TO TEXT(OCR) TXT A TXT FILE

Image to Text reads the words in a photo or screenshot and gives them back as text you can copy or save. Pick the language of the document first, because recognition is far better when it matches. A flat, well-lit scan in a common typeface comes out close to perfect; a phone photo taken at an angle needs checking, especially the numbers.

Reads the words out of a photo or screenshot using OCR in the browser. Accuracy depends almost entirely on the source: straight, evenly lit, 300 dpi and a common typeface is close to perfect, while an angled phone photo in poor light is not. Always check numbers, since 0 and O confuse it.

No software to install Free Works on any device

Step-by-Step Guide to Convert Image to Text (OCR)

  1. 1. Drop in your Image file — several at once is fine where the tool allows it

  2. 2. Check the options

    the sensible defaults are already set.

  3. 3. Press the button to convert and download your Text (OCR) file

Try it now

What is Image to Text (OCR) Conversion?

Reads the words out of a photo or screenshot using OCR in the browser. Accuracy depends almost entirely on the source: straight, evenly lit, 300 dpi and a common typeface is close to perfect, while an angled phone photo in poor light is not. Always check numbers, since 0 and O confuse it.

JPG files

.JPG .JPEG .PNG

Read the words out of a photo or screenshot.

At a glance

  • Takes: JPG, JPEG, PNG, WebP or BMP
  • Gives: plain text you can copy or save
  • Languages: 13, including English, Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish
  • Engine: downloaded to your browser once, then runs there
  • Best source: straight, evenly lit, 300 dpi
  • Price: free, no account

Why Optimize PDF Files?

Scanned PDFs are often too big to email or upload, and their text cannot be searched or copied. Compressing, cleaning and running text recognition makes the same document lighter, easier to search and simpler to send.

“A smaller file is one fewer upload error.”
  • Fits portal size limits
  • Scans turned into searchable text
  • A chance to rescue broken files
  • Form fields flattened in place
  • Quicker to email
  • Blank pages cleared out
  • Greyscale for cheaper printing
  • Less storage on your phone

Popular Uses for PDF Compression

Most people arrive here with a file that is too big or too hard to search.

  • Exam and job portals Shrink a certificate PDF under the 100 KB or 200 KB limit a form asks for.
  • Email attachments Bring a scanned report under the attachment limit of Gmail or Outlook.
  • Searching old scans Run text recognition on scanned pages so you can find a name or number.
  • Phone scans Turn photos taken with a phone camera into a clean PDF document.
  • Cheaper printing Convert colour pages to greyscale before sending a long document to print.
  • Tidying scans Drop the blank pages a document feeder picks up when it scans both sides.
  • Locking filled forms Flatten a filled form so the answers can no longer be changed by mistake.
  • Broken downloads Try repairing a PDF that shows an error after a broken download.

What the Image to Text (OCR) Converter Does

Accepts JPG, JPEG, PNG, WEBP, BMP

Understands TXT structure rather than treating the file as bytes

Says plainly where the result approximates rather than reproduces

Reports the size before and after, so you can judge whether the trade was worth it

Text and vector graphics are left untouched — only raster images are re-encoded

Why Use ToolXkit for Image to Text (OCR)?

Your files stay with you

Everything runs inside your browser. Nothing you open or type is uploaded to a server.

PDF Optimizer for Different Users

Exam applicants

Meet strict file size limits on admission and recruitment application forms.

Clerks and office staff

Store and send scanned files that do not fill up the shared drive.

Legal teams

Make scanned case papers searchable so a clause can be found in seconds.

Librarians and archivists

Turn old scanned pages into lighter files that can be searched by keyword.

Small businesses

Send quotes and catalogues that open quickly on customers’ phones.

Families

Keep scans of certificates and bills small enough for phone storage.

Best Times to Shrink or Clean a PDF

Optimizing a PDF pays off when you are:

  • Hitting an upload size limit
  • Emailing a large scanned document
  • Searching inside a scanned book
  • Printing a long colour file
  • Cleaning up double-sided scans
  • Opening a file that shows errors
  • Saving space on a full phone
  • Sending a finished, filled form

Tips and Good to Know

  1. Handwriting, decorative fonts and curved book pages read badly. Flatten the page and shoot straight down in good light, or it will need heavy correction.

  2. It reads, it does not translate. Choose the language the text is written in, then translate the result elsewhere.

  3. For a multi-page scanned PDF, use OCR PDF instead, which keeps the pages together and can make the PDF itself searchable.

  4. 0 and O, 1 and l are the classic confusions. Proofread every number, especially on invoices, IDs and marksheets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about this tool.

Which languages does the OCR read?

English by default, with a language picker for the others the recognition model supports. Pick the language of the text, not the language you want it translated into — recognition and translation are different jobs.

Why is the text wrong in places?

OCR is only as good as the picture. Skewed photos, low contrast, small type and handwriting all lower accuracy. A flat, well-lit scan at 300 dpi reads almost perfectly; a phone photo of a curved page will need corrections.

Is my document uploaded to be read?

No. The recognition model is downloaded to your browser once and runs there, so a contract or an ID card never leaves your device.

How much smaller will my PDF get?

It depends on what is inside. PDFs full of photos or scans often shrink a lot, while files that are mostly text are already small and change little. The compressor never hands back a file larger than the one you gave it.

Will compressing reduce the quality?

Pictures inside the PDF are made lighter, so very close zooming may show a little softness. Text stays sharp because it is not an image. For exam portals, pick the target size the form asks for and check the result before uploading.

Does Image to Text (OCR) work on a phone?

It does. Open the page in your phone’s browser, pick the file from your downloads or files app and save the result. Heavy scans can take longer because a phone has less memory than a laptop.

Can text recognition read handwriting?

OCR works best on clear, printed text in a good scan. Handwriting, faded copies and very small print are often read with mistakes, so check names and numbers in the result before relying on them.

Further reading

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