How to copy text from an image or photo

A recipe in a cookbook, a quote on a slide, an address in a screenshot, a paragraph in a scanned letter — retyping text is slow and error-prone. OCR lets you copy it in seconds.

Option 1: Scan and copy text

1. Open Scan to PDF.
2. Photograph the page or tap Import photos or PDF to pick an image or screenshot.
3. Tick Recognize text (OCR) and choose the language.
4. Use Copy text to put the recognized text on your clipboard, then paste it anywhere.

Option 2: Get a text file

1. Turn your images into a PDF with JPG to PDF, or scan them.
2. Open PDF to Text and enable Use OCR for scanned pages.
3. Download the .txt file.

Option 3: Keep the image but make it searchable

If you want to keep the picture and still search it later, run OCR PDF. The result looks like the original but contains a hidden text layer.

Improve accuracy

• Choose the right language — and add a second one for mixed text.
• Crop to the text. Background clutter can confuse the engine.
• Use high contrast. Black & white works well for printed pages.
• Avoid blur and glare. Hold steady and skip the flash.

Copying text in other languages

The OCR engine supports 24 languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. For right-to-left languages, see OCR for Hebrew and Arabic documents.

Need editable formatting?

Plain text is perfect for messages and notes. For a letter or report you want to edit with headings and paragraphs, use PDF to Word — see convert a scanned PDF to Word.

Private by design

Copying text from an ID, a bank letter or a prescription shouldn't mean uploading it to a stranger's server. Osd-Scan's OCR runs in your browser, so the image never leaves your device.

Stop retyping. Point, scan, copy — and paste the text wherever you need it.