How to extract text from images on Windows 11

• Extract text from images on Windows 11 from Snipping Tool
• Extract text from images on Windows 11 from Photos
• Extract text from images on Windows 11 from PowerToys
• Extract text from images on Windows 11 from Click to Do

Key points:

• To extract text from images with Snipping Tool, capture a screenshot, click “Text Actions,” select the text, right-click the selection, and choose the “Copy text” option. Or choose the “Copy all text” option from the “Text Actions” menu.
• You can also use the “Windows key + Shift + S” keyboard shortcut and click the Text extractor button from the Snipping Tool capture bar.
• To copy text from images and screenshots using the Photos app, open the picture and use the “Copy all text” button. Alternatively, select the text and right-click it, then choose “Copy” from the menu.
• To extract text from pictures on Windows 11, use the “Windows key + Shift + T” keyboard shortcut and select the text to extract and copy the contents to the clipboard. The feature works as long as you have PowerToys installed.
• To copy text from an image using Click to Do, use the “Windows key + Q” shortcut, select, and copy the text.

In this guide, I will teach you the steps to extract text from any image or screenshot on Windows 11.

Extract text from images on Windows 11 from Snipping Tool

The Snipping Tool offers two ways to extract text from images, including from the editor and capture bar.

From Snipping Tool editor

To extract text from any image using the Snipping Tool, use these steps:

1. Open the Snipping Tool on Windows 11.
2. Click the Snip button.
3. Click the New button.

   

4. Choose the snipping mode.
5. Capture the screenshot on Windows 11.
6. Select the text, right-click the selection, and choose the “Copy text” option.

   

7. (Optional) Click the “Text actions” button and choose the “Copy all text” option to extract all the text from the screenshot image.

After you complete the steps, you can paste the text into any document as necessary.

From Snipping Tool capture bar

To extract text from anything on the screen using the Snipping Tool capture bar, use these steps:

1. Open the Snipping Tool with the “Windows key + Shift + S” keyboard shortcut.
2. Click the Text extractor button.

   

3. (Option 1) Select the text and click the Copy option from the context menu.
4. (Option 2) Click the “Copy all text” button to copy everything to the clipboard.

   

5. (Optional) Click the menu (three dots) button and select the “Automatically copy text” and “Remove line breaks” options.

After you complete the steps, you can paste the text into any application.

The option in the capture bar is available starting with the Snipping Tool version 11.2503.29.0 and higher releases.

Extract text from images on Windows 11 from Photos

To extract text from pictures or screenshots using the Photos app, use these steps:

1. Open the Photos app.
   Quick tip: You can also right-click the image and choose the option to open it with the Photos app.
2. (Option 1) Click the Scan text button at the bottom of the page.

   

3. (Option 2) Select the text on an image as if you were editing a text file, right-click the selection, and choose the “Copy text” or “Select all text” option.

   

Once you complete the steps, you can paste the extracted text into any document, text file, or online post.

The option to extract text through the Photos app is available starting with version 2025.11030.20006.0 or higher.

Extract text from images on Windows 11 from PowerToys

Once you have PowerToys installed and the “Text Extractor” feature enabled, extracting text from an image is straightforward. Here’s how:

1. Open the image on Windows 11.
   Quick note: You can open the image with any application. You can even extract text from an image embedded on a web page. Also, it doesn’t necessarily have to be an image. You can select any text on the screen.
2. Use the “Windows key + Shift + T” keyboard shortcut.
3. Select the text you want to extract from the images to copy the contents to the clipboard automatically.

   

4. Right-click and select the Paste option on the application you want to paste the extracted text.

The feature isn’t perfect. You can select multiple lines, but try one line at a time if the text extraction isn’t working correctly. Also, select the text correctly without cutting off the letters at the top or bottom.

Install PowerToys

The easiest way to install PowerToys on Windows 11 is to use the Command Prompt using these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
3. Type the following command to install the latest version of PowerToys and press Enter:

   winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys

   

Once you complete the steps, you can enable the feature (if it’s not already enabled).

Enable Text Extractor

To enable the option to extract text from images on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerToys and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click on System Tools.
4. Click on Text Extractor.
5. Turn on the “Enable Text Extractor” toggle switch.

   

6. (Optional) Click the edit (pencil) button to change the activation shortcut.

After you complete the steps, you can use the keyboard shortcut to activate the feature and extract text from the image.

Extract text from images on Windows 11 from Click to Do

In these instructions, I will outline the steps to extract text outside and inside the Recall application. I assume you have already enabled Windows Recall on your Copilot+ PC for these steps.

From outside Recall

To extract text from images using Click to Do on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Use the “Windows key + Q” keyboard shortcut to open Click to Do.
   Quick note: You will also use the “Windows key + mouse click” shortcut, or you can find the app in the Start menu.
2. (Option 1) Select the text to extract from the image on the screen and choose the Copy option.

   

3. (Option 2) Select the text to extract from the image, choose “Open with,” and select the app to send the text, such as Notepad.

From inside Recall

To copy text from an image with Click to Do within the Recall app, use these steps:

1. Open the Recall app.
2. Select the snapshot with the text you want to extract.
3. (Option 1) Select the text to extract from the image on the screen and choose the Copy option.
4. (Option 2) Select the text to extract from the image, choose “Open with,” and select the app to send the text, such as Notepad.

   

Once you complete the steps, the text will be copied to the clipboard, and you can then paste it into any application.

Pureinfotech.