Free Image to Text Converter: Extract Text from Any Image with AI OCR

You have a screenshot with important information. Or a receipt you need to expense. Maybe a photo of a whiteboard from your last meeting. The text is trapped inside an image, and retyping it manually feels like a waste of time.

That's exactly why we built our free image to text converter. Using advanced AI-powered optical character recognition (OCR), you can extract text from any image instantly—no downloads, no sign-ups, no limits on basic usage.

What is OCR and how does image to text conversion work?

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is technology that identifies text within images and converts it into machine-readable, editable text. Traditional OCR worked by matching character patterns against a database of known letters and symbols.

Modern AI-powered OCR is significantly more advanced. Instead of simple pattern matching, it uses machine learning models trained on millions of images to:

• Understand context — Recognize that "l" in a word is likely a letter, not the number "1"
• Handle varied fonts — Process handwritten text, stylized fonts, and non-standard typography
• Work with poor quality images — Extract text even from blurry, skewed, or low-resolution photos
• Support multiple languages — Recognize text in dozens of languages and scripts

Common use cases for image to text conversion

Our users extract text from images for countless purposes. Here are the most popular scenarios:

Screenshots and screen captures
Capture text from error messages, social media posts, chat conversations, or any on-screen content. Perfect for documenting issues, saving quotes, or archiving information that might disappear.

Receipts and invoices
Extract expense information from paper receipts or photographed invoices. Get vendor names, amounts, dates, and line items as copyable text for accounting software or expense reports.

Business documents
Convert scanned contracts, letters, or printed reports into editable text. Search through previously unsearchable documents or copy specific sections without retyping.

Meeting notes and whiteboards
Photograph handwritten notes or whiteboard diagrams and extract the text for digital storage. Turn physical brainstorming sessions into searchable digital records.

Books and printed materials
Digitize passages from physical books, magazines, or printed reports. Create searchable archives of reference materials or quote collections.

How to use our free image to text converter

Converting images to text takes just three simple steps:

Advanced feature: Custom field extraction

Beyond basic text extraction, our tool offers something unique: custom field extraction with structured output.

Instead of getting a wall of unorganized text, you can define specific fields you want to extract. For example, when processing a receipt, you might specify:

vendor_name
date
total_amount
items[]
payment_method

The AI will then return structured JSON with exactly those fields populated:

{
  "vendor_name": "Office Supply Co",
  "date": "2026-01-15",
  "total_amount": "$127.43",
  "items": [
    "Printer Paper (2x) - $24.99",
    "Ink Cartridges - $89.99",
    "Stapler - $12.45"
  ],
  "payment_method": "Visa ending 4521"
}

This structured extraction is incredibly powerful for automation workflows. Import the JSON directly into spreadsheets, databases, or other applications without manual data entry.

Tips for better image to text results

While our AI handles most images well, following these guidelines will improve accuracy:

Good lighting matters
Evenly lit images with minimal shadows produce the best results. Avoid harsh directional lighting that creates glare or dark areas.

Keep images in focus
Blurry text is harder for any OCR system to read. Make sure your camera is focused and steady when capturing photos.

Maximize contrast
Dark text on light backgrounds (or vice versa) extracts most reliably. Low contrast between text and background increases errors.

Avoid extreme angles
While our AI can handle some skew, photographing documents straight-on produces better results than extreme angles.

Higher resolution helps
Larger images with more pixels give the AI more information to work with. Avoid heavily compressed or thumbnail-sized images when possible.

Image to text converter vs. manual transcription

Why use an automated tool instead of typing text yourself? The numbers make a compelling case:

For occasional single-use cases, manual typing might seem reasonable. But the moment you need to extract text regularly—from receipts, documents, or screenshots—automated OCR saves enormous time.

Privacy and security

We understand that images often contain sensitive information. Here's how we handle your data:

• No permanent storage — Images are processed and immediately discarded. We don't keep copies of your uploads.
• Encrypted transmission — All data transfers use HTTPS encryption to protect your content in transit.
• No account required — Use the tool without creating an account or providing personal information.
• No tracking of content — We don't analyze, store, or monetize the text extracted from your images.

Frequently asked questions

What image formats are supported?
We support PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, BMP, and TIFF. Most common image formats will work.

Is there a file size limit?
Images up to 10 MB are accepted. For larger files, consider compressing or resizing before upload.

Can it read handwritten text?
Yes, our AI can process handwritten text, though accuracy depends on legibility. Clear handwriting works best.

What languages are supported?
Our OCR supports English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, and many more.

Can I extract text from PDFs?
For PDF files, use our dedicated PDF to Text Converter which handles multi-page documents.

Start extracting text from images now

Whether you're digitizing receipts, capturing screenshots, or converting printed documents, our free image to text converter handles it all. No sign-up, no software installation, no limits on basic usage.

The next time you encounter text trapped in an image, skip the manual typing. Let AI do the work in seconds.