How to Copy Text From a Screenshot on Windows 11
You have a screenshot — an error message, a slide, a receipt, a chunk of a PDF someone sent as an image — and you need the words out of it as editable text, not something to retype by hand. That's optical character recognition (OCR), and Windows 11 gives you several ways to do it, most of them free and already on or one click from your PC. This guide walks through four practical methods, how each one works, and when to reach for which.
Quick answer: In Windows 11, Snipping Tool's Text actions copy text from a snip. PowerToys Text Extractor copies text from anywhere on screen with a shortcut (default Win+Shift+T). ShareX includes OCR among its tools. And your phone's camera or Google Lens can read text on paper or another screen.
Method 1 — Snipping Tool text actions (built in)
In Windows 11, Snipping Tool can recognize text inside a snip. Take a snip as usual (Win+Shift+S or open Snipping Tool), then select Text actions to select and copy specific text or copy all of it. Microsoft's guide also describes a Quick redact tool for email addresses and phone numbers in the snip, which is handy before you share.
Best for: a quick, no-install grab when you're already snipping. Keep in mind: if you don't see Text actions, update Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store. Recognition quality, as with any OCR, depends on how crisp the text is in the image.
Method 2 — PowerToys Text Extractor
Text Extractor is a utility in Microsoft PowerToys that copies text from anywhere on the Windows screen using optical character recognition. Press the default shortcut, Win+Shift+T, then click and drag over the text; the recognized text is saved to your clipboard.
A few practical notes from Microsoft's documentation: the recognition language follows your Windows system language and keyboard settings, and OCR language packs can be installed for other languages. Microsoft also notes that the produced text may not be perfect, so proofread the output. The activation shortcut is customizable in PowerToys settings.
Best for: anyone who grabs text from the screen often and wants a single hotkey. Keep in mind: you install PowerToys once, and you may need to add an OCR language pack for non-default languages.
Method 3 — ShareX OCR
ShareX is a free and open source screenshot tool for Windows that combines screen capture, screen recording, file sharing and productivity tools.
ShareX's documentation says it uses the OCR engine included with Windows to recognize text from a selected screen region or an image file. If you already use ShareX for screenshots and uploads, its OCR keeps the whole flow in one app.
Best for: existing ShareX users who want capture, upload, and OCR under one roof.
Method 4 — Your phone or Google Lens (cross-device fallback)
When the text is on paper, on a second monitor you can't easily snip, or on someone else's screen, your phone can help. Many phone cameras can select text from the viewfinder or a photo. It's not a Windows method, but it's the pragmatic answer for the "text I can't screenshot" situations.
Best for: printed text, physical documents, or another device's screen. Keep in mind: you'll move the text between devices (copy to your account, email it to yourself, or use a share feature).
Which method should you use?
| Method | Install needed | How you trigger it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snipping Tool text actions | Built in | Snip, then copy text | Quick one-offs |
| PowerToys Text Extractor | Free (PowerToys) | Win+Shift+T, drag | Frequent, keyboard-driven grabs |
| ShareX OCR | Free (ShareX) | Capture region, run OCR | Existing ShareX workflows |
| Phone / Google Lens | On your phone | Point camera / open photo | Paper or another screen |
Getting the cleanest OCR result
Every method above shares the same reality: OCR accuracy depends heavily on the source image. A few habits dramatically improve results, whichever tool you use:
- Capture at high resolution. The more pixels per character, the better. Zoom in before you capture small text rather than enlarging a tiny capture afterward.
- Prefer high contrast. Dark text on a light background (or vice versa) recognizes far more reliably than low-contrast or textured backgrounds.
- Keep it straight. Skewed or rotated text — common with phone photos — trips up recognition. Square it up when you can.
- Always proofread. OCR commonly confuses characters like 0/O, 1/l/I, and 5/S. A quick read catches these before they cause problems downstream.
Where a capture tool fits in
OCR starts with a good capture, so it pairs naturally with whatever screenshot tool you already use to grab, mark up, and share images. Maxisnap is a lightweight Windows capture-and-annotation app that also includes built-in OCR text extraction, so you can pull text from a shot in the same tool you used to take it, alongside its annotation, recording, and link-sharing features. If you'd rather keep your capture tool and OCR separate, the built-in Snipping Tool plus PowerToys Text Extractor is a completely free combination that covers the vast majority of everyday needs.
Maxisnap is not affiliated with Microsoft. This page describes Windows features as Microsoft's documentation presented them in October 2026; check Microsoft's documentation for current behavior.
Maxisnap is not affiliated with the other products named on this page. They are described as their official sites presented them in October 2026; check each official site for current features, pricing and platforms.