Can screenshot to text retrieve earlier messages in a conversation?

No. It reads only the conversation content visible in the uploaded capture, not the app's history or account data.

How do I extract an error code without changing its meaning?

Compare every character with the screenshot, especially dashes, slashes and similar letters and digits. Keep the original capture with your support request.

Will emojis and interface icons be transcribed as words?

Do not rely on that. OCR is intended for readable text; visually meaningful icons may need a separate description.

Can this recover the full text behind a screenshot ellipsis?

No. Expand the original content and take another screenshot. Hidden characters cannot be read from a truncated view.

How do I copy text from a screenshot on my phone?

Open this page in your phone's browser, choose the screenshot from your photos, and select Extract text. When the words appear, select Copy Text and paste them into a message or note. Nothing needs installing, and you can fix misread characters in the box before you copy.

Why does text from my screenshot have odd line breaks?

The Formatted view keeps line breaks and spacing where the words sat on the screen, so a wrapped sentence splits into short lines. Plain removes the positional spacing but is still line-broken text, so join wrapped sentences yourself in the box before you copy them.

Can I extract text from a screenshot of a PDF or web page?

Yes. A screenshot is just an image, so a capture of a PDF page, web page or app screen is read like any other picture. If you still have the PDF file itself, PDF to Text reads it directly and skips the extra step of taking a screenshot.

Which screenshot file types can I upload?

PNG, JPG, WEBP, HEIC and TIFF files are accepted, along with other common image formats, so phone and desktop screenshots can be used as saved. A screenshot saved as a PDF should go to PDF to Text instead.

Can I save a screenshot transcription as a file?

Yes. After Extract text, open Download as and pick Text (.txt) or Markdown (.md), then select See result and then Download. Word (.docx) is also listed as a paid format. The saved file holds the text as first read, so copy any typed corrections instead.

Screenshot to Text — Copy Words from Screen Captures — OCR to extract editable text from photos, screenshots and scans — After — A realistic source document followed by the actual Image to Text document state or output artifact.

Image to Text

Screenshot to Text — Copy Words from Screen Captures

Choose your image

Upload a screenshot with the complete text you want to recover

Extract text from a screenshot of an app, message or report. Review clipped lines, names and symbols before copying the recognized text or saving TXT.

Error messages for support requests
Image-only message excerpts

Upload your image

Upload a screenshot with the complete text you want to recover

All image formats (JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC, TIFF…)

Copy text from screenshot images instead of retyping it

Use this screenshot to text tool when words on a screen cannot be selected: an error dialog, a chat thread, a slide, a locked document or an image-only post. Upload the screenshot, select Extract text, and the words come back in a box where you can fix them and copy them. It reads screenshots from phones, tablets and computers in PNG, JPG and other image formats.

Extract text from screenshot captures on a phone or computer

Take the screenshot as usual, then open this page on the same device and choose the saved image from your gallery, camera roll or downloads folder. Once Extract text finishes, Copy Text sends the whole result to the clipboard, ready to paste into a message, a support ticket or a note.

Capture the screen at its normal zoom with the text fully visible.
Upload the screenshot from your gallery, camera roll or downloads.
Set the Language to match the text on screen.
Select Extract text, then check names, numbers and symbols.
Select Copy Text and paste the words.

Copy only some lines of a screenshot

Copy Text takes everything in the box. To keep one passage, select it in the box and use your usual copy shortcut, or delete the lines you do not want first. When you would rather point at words on the picture itself, select and copy lines directly on the image, much like highlighting text on a web page.

Transcribe a long chat or log from several screenshots

Used as a screenshot transcriber, this page reads one image at a time, and a long conversation or log usually spans several captures. Extract them in order and paste the results one after another into a single document, deleting lines that repeat where two screens overlap. Premium accounts can switch from Single file to Batch, add every screenshot and collect one text file per image in a ZIP.

Keep a screenshot table in rows and columns

Words in a table come back as lines of text, not as cells. When the screenshot shows a report or dashboard grid, recover it as Excel cells so each value lands in its own column, then check the rows against the screen before you export.

Before you upload a screenshot

Crop out status bars, sidebars and toolbars so interface labels are not read as part of your text.
Avoid zooming out to fit more on screen, because small letters lose detail.
Check URLs, file paths, code and error codes character by character.
Keep the original screenshot with the transcription when you share it.

Copy an error message or visible excerpt you cannot select

Copy visible wording from a screen capture when the original interface no longer lets you select it. Include complete lines, exclude unrelated controls, and check names or technical symbols before pasting the result elsewhere.

Error messages for support requests

Recover the displayed message and verify error codes character by character before including them in a support ticket.

Image-only message excerpts

Prepare a readable transcription of the visible excerpt, keeping speaker labels and timestamps when they are needed for context.

Keep complete screen lines and verify technical symbols

Capture the complete message or text block at a readable zoom level.
Extract and review line order, timestamps, usernames and technical punctuation.
Correct the transcription and copy only the relevant verified passage.

Hidden messages, clipped wording and OCR error codes

Can screenshot to text retrieve earlier messages in a conversation?: No. It reads only the conversation content visible in the uploaded capture, not the app's history or account data.
How do I extract an error code without changing its meaning?: Compare every character with the screenshot, especially dashes, slashes and similar letters and digits. Keep the original capture with your support request.
Will emojis and interface icons be transcribed as words?: Do not rely on that. OCR is intended for readable text; visually meaningful icons may need a separate description.
Can this recover the full text behind a screenshot ellipsis?: No. Expand the original content and take another screenshot. Hidden characters cannot be read from a truncated view.
How do I copy text from a screenshot on my phone?: Open this page in your phone's browser, choose the screenshot from your photos, and select Extract text. When the words appear, select Copy Text and paste them into a message or note. Nothing needs installing, and you can fix misread characters in the box before you copy.
Why does text from my screenshot have odd line breaks?: The Formatted view keeps line breaks and spacing where the words sat on the screen, so a wrapped sentence splits into short lines. Plain removes the positional spacing but is still line-broken text, so join wrapped sentences yourself in the box before you copy them.
Can I extract text from a screenshot of a PDF or web page?: Yes. A screenshot is just an image, so a capture of a PDF page, web page or app screen is read like any other picture. If you still have the PDF file itself, PDF to Text reads it directly and skips the extra step of taking a screenshot.
Which screenshot file types can I upload?: PNG, JPG, WEBP, HEIC and TIFF files are accepted, along with other common image formats, so phone and desktop screenshots can be used as saved. A screenshot saved as a PDF should go to PDF to Text instead.
Can I save a screenshot transcription as a file?: Yes. After Extract text, open Download as and pick Text (.txt) or Markdown (.md), then select See result and then Download. Word (.docx) is also listed as a paid format. The saved file holds the text as first read, so copy any typed corrections instead.