Skip to main content

Image to Text Converter — Free OCR

Extract text from a photo, screenshot or scanned page. Copy the words or download a TXT or Word file. Free image OCR, no signup needed.

Drop your file here

PDF, PNG, JPG, WebP, BMP, HEIC

PDF up to 1 GB · images up to 20 MB

Tips for a clear photo
  • Lay the page flat.
  • Use even light, with no shadows.
  • Turn off the flash to avoid glare.
  • Fill the frame with the page.
Live Demonstration

Scanned book page & extracted text

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
Macmillan & Co. (public domain)

Original Scan (JPG/WebP)English • 1865
Scanned book page from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
Extracted OCR Text
RABBIT-HOLE. 3
burning with curiosity, she ran across the field
after it, and was just in time to see it pop
down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went Alice after
it, never once considering how in the world
she was to get out again.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a
tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly
down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment
to think about stopping herself before she found
herself falling down what seemed to be a very
deep well.
Either the well was very deep, or she fell
very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she
went down to look about her, and to wonder
what was going to happen next. First, she tried
to look down and make out what she was
coming to, but it was too dark to see anything:
then she looked at the sides of the well, and
noticed that they were filled with cupboards
and book-shelves: here and there she saw maps
and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down
Tip for better results:Crop closely to the text, use original-resolution scans or photos, and avoid camera glare or tilted angles.

More specific tools: screenshot to text, photo to text, copy text from image, image to Word, or free OCR for PDFs.

Photos from your phone or computer

JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, BMP and iPhone HEIC photos. Up to 20 MB per image.

100+ languages

Arabic, Urdu, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi and more. Text languages are detected automatically.

Screenshots & dark mode

Light text on dark backgrounds, UI elements, code snippets, and error messages.

Photos & scans

Phone camera photos, document scans, whiteboards, and handwritten notes.

Instant results

Text appears in seconds. Copy to clipboard or translate to another language.

Free image OCR

Image OCR is free: try it without signup, and sign in for unlimited free image OCR. No watermarks.

How to extract text from an image

  1. Upload the image. Choose a photo or screenshot, drop it into the uploader, or paste a copied image. A straight, well-lit page gives better results than a blurry or tilted photo.
  2. Check the extracted text. OCR detects the language automatically. Compare names, numbers and handwriting with your original image.
  3. Copy or download. Copy the words to your clipboard, save a TXT file, or download an editable Word document. Translation and AI Polish are optional actions after single-image OCR.

Need a searchable PDF instead? Use PDF OCR and text extraction. For differences between services, see our OCR tool comparisons.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert an image to text?

Upload a photo, screenshot or scanned page. FastOCR reads the words with optical character recognition (OCR) and shows the extracted text. You can copy it or download a TXT or Word file. A Word file contains editable text; it does not recreate the image, fonts or table grid.

Can I extract text from photos and screenshots without signing up?

Yes. Image OCR is free: try it without an account, and sign in for unlimited free image OCR. There is no email requirement and no watermarks.

Is it safe to upload confidential images and personal documents?

Yes. All uploads are encrypted with TLS in transit and AES-256 at rest. FastOCR operates on strict user-isolated storage, never uses your images to train AI models, and automatically purges all processed files after 30 days.

Can FastOCR recognize handwritten notes and cursive writing?

FastOCR can read some neat handwriting, but results depend on the script, writing style and image quality. Printed text in a clear, straight scan is more reliable. Compare names, numbers and handwritten words with the original.

What image formats are supported?

JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, BMP, HEIC and HEIF images up to 20 MB. HEIC and HEIF photos are converted in your browser before upload. Language is detected automatically.

Is image OCR free?

Yes. Image OCR is free: try it without an account, and sign in for unlimited free image OCR.

What languages are supported?

Over 100 languages including English, Arabic, Urdu, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Farsi, and all European languages. Right-to-left scripts are handled correctly.

Can I translate the extracted text?

Yes. After a single image finishes processing, sign in and choose Translate on the results page. Select the target language and copy the translated text. Translation has its own allowance; see pricing for the current limits.

Is there an image to text API?

Yes. The FastOCR REST API reads PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF, WebP and BMP images up to 20 MiB and returns plain text or a searchable PDF. Each image counts as one page. Every account gets free pages each month, shared with PDFs on the website. Read the image to text API docs.

Upload an image →

Free image OCR: try it without an account, and sign in for unlimited free image OCR. See pricing and limits