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.
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
- 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.
- Check the extracted text. OCR detects the language automatically. Compare names, numbers and handwriting with your original image.
- 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.
Free image OCR: try it without an account, and sign in for unlimited free image OCR. See pricing and limits