Photo to Text

    Photo to text online — free. Snap a picture with your phone, upload it, and extract editable text in seconds. Works with 100+ languages.

    Powered by ScanRead.ai

    Drop image or PDF here

    or click to browse · paste from clipboard ( ⌘V)

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    Quick Answer

    ScanRead's photo to text converter turns any phone picture into editable digital content using AI-powered OCR. Snap a shot of a document, receipt, sign, or page, upload it, and get copyable output in about 2 seconds. Free for 20 pages per day. Works with 100+ languages and handles both clear scans and angled phone shots.

    ~2 seconds per photo
    Processing speed
    100+
    Languages supported
    20 (with account)
    Free pages per day
    95-99%
    Accuracy on printed text

    How to use photo to text

    1

    Take or choose a shot

    Snap a new image with your phone camera or pick an existing one. Angled shots, uneven lighting, and typical phone camera quality all work.

    2

    Upload to ScanRead

    Drag and drop the file, click to browse, or paste from clipboard. Processing starts automatically.

    3

    Get editable output

    In about 2 seconds, the extracted content appears. Copy, download as .txt, or share a link to the result.

    Common use cases

    Scenarios where this tool saves time and delivers accurate, copyable text.

    Receipts and bills

    Photograph a receipt after a meal or grocery run and digitize it for expense tracking without manual entry.

    Restaurant menus

    Snap a menu in a foreign country — run photo to text extraction, then copy the output into a translator.

    Business cards

    Turn any business card into contact information for your phone — no dedicated scanner app needed.

    Notes and whiteboards

    Capture handwritten notes or whiteboard diagrams from meetings so you can search them later.

    Why ScanRead

    AI-powered accuracy

    We use PP-OCRv5, a state-of-the-art open-source model that matches Google Vision and Adobe Acrobat on printed text (95-99% accuracy) and outperforms both on Chinese, Japanese, and Korean documents.

    No signup needed

    Try up to 10 pages per day without creating an account. Create a free account for 20 pages per day. No credit card required.

    100+ languages

    Works with 100+ languages including English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, and Russian. Automatic language detection.

    Frequently asked questions

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    Try the photo to text tool now — free

    No signup required for the first 10 pages per day. Create a free account for 20 pages per day.

    Get started — it's free