Text from a screenshot — paste with Ctrl+V and copy.

Copy it or save it to a file.

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A screenshot is a handy way to save bank details from a chat, a paragraph from an email, a slide from a video call or an error window. But the text in it is already a picture, and usually you can’t select it. The tool converts the screenshot to text and shows it on the sheet, where you can fix, select and copy it.

A screen capture is easier to read than a photo of paper: straight lines, a crisp font, no shadow, no tilt. A small screenshot is enlarged automatically before recognition. For a paragraph from an email or a website, switch the sheet to “Join lines”: the lines merge, and the text goes into Word or an email without stray line breaks.

How to take a screenshot for text recognition

  1. Capture only the part of the screen you need: tabs, menus and chat buttons end up in the text too. Trim anything extra from the finished screenshot with the “Crop” button.
  2. Enlarge small text before you take the screenshot: Ctrl and plus in the browser (Cmd and plus on a Mac), or spread two fingers on a phone.
  3. On an iPhone, press the side button and volume up together (on models with a Home button, press Home and the side button); on most Android phones, press power and volume down.
  4. To capture a slide from a video call, switch the screen share to full screen, and don’t take the screenshot right after the slide changes: for the first second or two the picture can be blurry.

What reads well from a screenshot and what doesn’t

Reads well

  • Websites, emails and chats at normal zoom
  • Dark mode in messaging apps and programs
  • Error windows, button labels and menu items

Reads poorly

  • A screenshot sent in a chat as a photo
  • Tables and columns: only the text remains, line by line
  • Handwritten stylus notes and signatures on the screenshot

From screenshot to text

  1. Take a screenshot with a keyboard shortcut or your phone’s buttons, or save the screenshot you received in a chat.
  2. Press Ctrl+V here (Cmd+V on a Mac) or drag the file in; on a phone, tap “Choose photos” or “Paste from clipboard” where the browser allows it.
  3. Check the text against the screenshot, especially if the card is marked “Unclear”, fix any mistakes and press “Copy text”.

When you need text from a screenshot

  • Bank details from a chat A supplier sent a screenshot on Telegram with an IBAN, a company code and the payee’s name. Copy the lines into your banking app instead of retyping them, and check the numbers against the screenshot.
  • An error for support The text in an error window often can’t be selected. Take a screenshot and move the message with its code into your support request. Keep English turned on among the text languages: such windows are often in English.
  • Product specs from a marketplace Sellers post some of the product specs and description as an image. Take a screenshot of it and move the text into a comparison table in Excel: each line goes into its own cell, and you sort it into columns yourself.

Questions

How do I take a screenshot on Windows and Mac?

On Windows, press Win+Shift+S and select an area: the screenshot goes to the clipboard. PrtScn (Print Screen) captures the whole screen or, depending on your settings, opens the same selection tool. On a Mac, Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4 copies an area to the clipboard, and Cmd+Shift+4 saves it as a file.

Can it read a screenshot in dark mode?

Yes. The tool inverts the colors of a dark screenshot itself, so there’s nothing to switch. If small pale text, such as the time next to messages, comes out with mistakes, switch to light mode and take the screenshot again.

How do I get text from screenshots of a long page?

Capture the page in parts from top to bottom, with a little overlap, and press Ctrl+V here after each screenshot: the text is joined into one, in the order you add them. Delete the repeats at the seams right on the sheet.

Bank details from a chat: what should I check after recognition?

Check every character of the IBAN (a Ukrainian one has 29 characters and starts with UA), the company code (8 digits) or personal tax number (10 digits), the amount and the payee’s name. Typical mistakes are look-alike characters: O and 0, I and 1, Latin and Cyrillic letters that look the same.

Why does a screenshot from a messaging app come out worse?

When a screenshot is sent as a photo, Telegram and Viber usually shrink and compress it, and small digits and letters get blurry. Ask for the original as a file, at full size, and paste your own screenshot here directly.

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