How to Copy Text From a Screenshot
The quick version
A screenshot is an image, so the text in it is not selectable. To copy it, run the screenshot through an image to text converter: upload it, pick the language, and extract. Now you can copy every word.
When this comes up
You screenshot a chat you cannot forward, an error message you want to search, a post, a payment confirmation, or a slide from a video call. The text is right there on screen, but you cannot highlight it. OCR gets it back.
Step by step
1. Find your screenshot
On a phone it is in your photos. On a computer it is wherever screenshots save, usually the desktop or a Screenshots folder.
2. Upload it to ocrX
Drag it in or browse to it.
3. Pick the language and extract
Set the language of the text, then click Extract. The words appear ready to copy.
4. Copy or save
Copy to your clipboard, or download as TXT, PDF, or Word.
For phone screenshots
If the screenshot is on your phone, the ocrX app for Android and iOS reads it without moving the file to a computer first.
Why not just retype it?
For one line, sure. For a paragraph, a long error message, or anything in another language, OCR is faster and you will not introduce typos copying a long string by hand.
Tips
- Crop the screenshot down to just the text you need before extracting.
- If the text is tiny, zoom in and screenshot again so it is larger and sharper.
- Pick the matching language.
Wrapping up
Screenshots are easy to take and annoying to copy from. ocrX closes that gap: drop the screenshot in and get the text out.