Have you run into situations where you need to grab text from a screenshot or image you downloaded? Doing so used to take some work, but Microsoft is making it easier using built-in utilities. For instance, you might need to get the text from a PowerPoint slide, an infographic, or anything you screenshot. Once you extract the text, you can post it into a document or other apps. Luckily, the modern Snipping Tool on Windows 11 includes OCR (Optical Character Recognition), so you can do just that. Let’s take a look at how to do it.

Extracting text from screenshots using the Snipping Tool in Windows

It's easier than you think

Believe it or not, the Snipping Tool has been around since Windows Vista and has received many updated features along the way. Now, with a modern version in Windows 11, you can extract text from screenshots and images using its built-in OCR capability. Once extracted, you can copy it as is, as a table, and redact sensitive information.

This works on Windows 11 or higher. Also, to ensure you have the right version of the Snipping Tool, go to Settings > About this app. If it’s not 11.2308.33.0, you can update it from the Microsoft Store.

Once you have the right version, extracting text from images is straightforward using the following steps.

  1. Open the Snipping Tool and take a screenshot of the image that includes the text you want to extract, or right-click an existing image and choose Open with -> Snipping Tool.
  2. Click the Text actions button on the bottom toolbar.
  3. The Snipping Tool scans your image and highlights the text it is able to extract. Click Copy all text (Ctrl + C) or choose the Copy as table or Quick redact option.
  4. The extracted text from the image is copied to the Windows Clipboard, and you can use Ctrl + V to paste it into Word, Google Docs, or other apps that accept text. I copied the text as a table in this example and pasted it into Word.

OCR made easy with the Snipping Tool

Gone are the days of having to pay for expensive software to extract text from screenshots and images. It’s now included in the operating system. While it may not have all the bells and whistles as PhotoShop, it gets the job done for basic tasks. If you aren’t a fan of the Snipping Tool, you also have similar OCR capabilities in Microsoft Photos (2024.11100.17007.0 or higher), and the Text Extractor in PowerToys.

It’s also worth noting that many of the apps included in Windows are seeing remarkable improvements. Many are getting AI features like Microsoft Edge and Photos, and there’s now a Rewrite text feature in Notepad. But overall, having OCR included with the Snipping Tool makes Windows 11 more valuable.