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How to Extract Text from Image: 5 Free & Accurate Ways
How to Extract Text from Image: 5 Free & Accurate Ways
Every day, people work with screenshots, photos, and scanned files that contain important text. You may see text inside receipts, class notes, travel documents, or social media screenshots. However, you cannot copy or search that text directly. Images store text as pixels, not real words. Because of this, you cannot select, edit, or search the content.
OCR, short for Optical Character Recognition, solves this problem. OCR reads text inside images and converts it into editable words. This guide explains how to extract text from image using free tools on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, online platforms.
Part 1. Which Method Is Best to Extract Text from Image -- Quick Comparison
Before diving into detailed steps, it helps to quickly compare popular ways to extract text from image, copy text from image, or get text from image. This comparison shows which method works best for mobile, Windows, Mac, online use, or PDF files, helping you choose the right tool for your task.
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Quick Summary
- For quick, casual extraction: Mobile or built-in OCR tools are usually sufficient.
- For notes or small text blocks: OneNote offers a simple balance between accuracy and convenience.
- For scanned PDFs or image-based NotebookLM PDFs: A dedicated OCR solution like PDNob PDF Editor delivers the highest accuracy and preserves layout, making it the most reliable option for professional use.
Part 2. How to Extract Text from Image on Android & iOS -- Google Lens
Google Lens allows users to easily extract text from image free on Android and iOS devices. It works well for copying text from photos, screenshots, notes, menus, receipts, and travel pictures.
This tool is perfect for students, travelers, and anyone who needs to copy text from image on the go, helping you save time and store information efficiently. With Google Lens, you can also extract text from picture for translation or sharing instantly.
Steps to Extract Text from Image Using Google Lens
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Open Google Lens: Launch the Google Lens app, or tap the Lens camera icon in the Google app/Google Photos app.
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Select Image: Choose an image from your gallery or take a new photo of the text.
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Select Text: Tap on the "Text" option, then tap "Select all" or highlight specific text with your finger.
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Copy Text: Tap "Copy text" to save it to your clipboard.
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Paste: Paste the text into any app, such as Notes or a document.
Pros
- Works fast on Android and iOS
- Free and easy to use
- No extra app needed on most phones
- Good for casual use
Cons
- Cannot process many images at once
- Struggles with poor lighting
- Limited support for complex layouts
When to Choose Google Lens
Choose Google Lens when you need to extract text from image on the go. It works best for one-time tasks like copying notes or signs.
Part 3. How to Copy Text from Image on Windows for Free -- Built-in Tool
Windows users can easily copy text from image using the built-in Snipping Tool. This free tool allows you to extract text from image in screenshots, error messages, or small documents without installing extra software. It is ideal for casual users who need to get text from image quickly and efficiently.
Steps to Use Copy Text from Image on Windows via Snipping Tool
Step 1: Open the Snipping Tool on your Windows computer and load the image or screenshot that contains the text you want to extract.
Step 2: Click the Text Actions icon located at the bottom of the Snipping Tool window to start scanning the image.
Step 3: Wait for the tool to detect the text. Once complete, you can copy all text at once or select specific lines to copy text from image as needed.
Pros
- Built into Windows
- Free and easy to access
- No software download
Cons
- Low accuracy for long text
- Weak with tables and layouts
- No batch support
When to Use Windows Built-in OCR
Use this method when you need a fast way to copy text from image shortcut key style screenshots. It works well for short content only.
Part 4. How to Extract Text from Image on PC & Mac -- Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote helps users extract text from image files added to notes on PC and Mac. It allows you to copy text from image screenshots, get text from image files, and reuse the content easily for notes, drafts, or quick edits without extra tools.
Steps to Extract Text from Image Using OneNote
Step 1: Open Microsoft OneNote on your PC or Mac, then insert the image or screenshot that contains the text you want to extract. This allows OneNote to prepare the file for OCR.
Step 2: Right-click on the image and select "Copy Text from Picture". For multiple images: You can right-click and choose "Copy Text from All Pages of Printout".
Step 3: Click where you want the text to appear and press Ctrl+V (or Command+V on Mac).
Pros
- Free with Microsoft account
- Works offline
- Good for small images
Cons
- Loses formatting
- Not suitable for scanned PDFs
- Not ideal for long files
When to Choose Microsoft OneNote OCR
OneNote suits users who already use it for notes. It helps get text from image screenshots or small pictures without extra tools.
Part 5. How to Extract Text from Image Online -- Image Text Extractor
Online OCR tools let users extract text from image online without downloading or installing any software. Websites like imagetotext.info work directly in the browser and support quick text extraction from small images. This method suits occasional use and simple tasks.
Steps to Extract Text from Image Online Online
Step 1: Upload your image file or drag and drop it into the image to text converter.
Step 2: Paste the image URL if the picture is hosted online.
Step 3: Click the Convert button to extract text from picture automatically.
Step 4: Review the results and copy text from image or save the extracted text as a document.
Pros
- Works on any device
- No installation needed
- Free for small images
Cons
- Uploads files to servers
- File size limits
- Lower accuracy for layouts
When to Choose Online OCR Tools
Choose this method when you need to extract text from image free for one image and do not handle sensitive data.
Part 6. How to Extract Text from Image-Based PDF -- OCR With High Accuracy
Many important files arrive as scanned or image-based PDFs, where text cannot be selected or searched. In these cases, you need a reliable OCR tool to extract text from image PDF without errors. PDNob is designed specifically for this purpose. It reads text from scanned PDFs and converts it into editable content while keeping the original structure.
The tool works well for reports, contracts, invoices, and multi-page documents. Although it does not support extract text from JPG or PNG images directly, it delivers strong results for PDF files where accuracy, readability, and layout matter most.
- High-Accuracy OCR -- AI-powered recognition extracts text reliably from image-based PDFs.
- Multi-Language Support -- Works with Chinese, English, French, Japanese, and more.
- Batch Processing -- Convert multiple PDFs at once to save time.
- Layout & Formatting Retention -- Keeps original structure, columns, and paragraphs intact.
- Integrated Editing & Export -- Edit, annotate, and export results to Word, Excel, or PPT.
Steps to Extract Text from Image-Based PDF Using PDNob
- Step 1: Launch Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor on your computer. On the main screen, click OCR PDF, then select the scanned PDF you want to process.
- Step 2: If prompted, click Download to install the OCR component. This enables PDNob to recognize text from scanned PDF images.
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Step 3:
After installation, click OCR in the top toolbar. Choose the OCR mode that fits your needs:
- Scan to Editable Text: Turns scanned pages into fully editable text. You can copy, paste, move, or delete words like a normal document.
- Scan to Searchable Text in Image: Makes text selectable and searchable while keeping the original scanned layout unchanged.
- Step 4: Once OCR is finished, the text becomes selectable. You can now copy and paste text from the scanned PDF into Word, email, or other documents without retyping.
When to Use PDNob OCR Software
Best for scanned slides, NotebookLM PDFs, contracts, reports, or any multi-page image-based documents.
Conclusion
Extracting text from images depends on the scenario:
- Mobile photos or screenshots: Use Google Lens for quick extraction.
- Single slides or small text: Use Snipping Tool or OneNote for casual capture.
- Occasional online extraction: i2OCR works without installation.
- Image-heavy slides or PDFs: PDNob PDF Editor delivers high-accuracy OCR, editable text, and layout preservation.
No matter the platform, you can extract text from image efficiently by choosing the right method.
- Make scanned PDFs searchable and editable with 99% OCR precision
- Batch convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT, images, PDF/A, Text, EPUB, etc., up to 30% faster
- Edit PDFs easily like Word, including text, images, watermarks, links, and backgrounds
- Annotate PDF with highlights, comments, shapes, stickers, and stamps
- Run smoothly on any PC without lags or crashes, even on low-spec machines
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