For years, the way I would grab text was embarrassing. I would get a screenshot or spot a picture with text I wanted to search for and type it out in Google search. Then I found PowerToys Text Extractor, a free OCR tool buried inside Microsoft PowerToys, and I knew I wasn’t going back to the clunky ways of copying text. It lets me copy text from images, videos, and even apps that block selection on Windows. I can’t remember the last time I retyped something, and going back honestly feels ridiculous.

Win + Shift + T changed how I treat every screenshot

I only have to drag a box, and the text is mine

The keyboard combination I have to use to grab the text is easy. I just press Win + Shift + T, and the moment I let go of the mouse, the text is already on my clipboard. Win + Shift + T is the default PowerToys Text Extractor shortcut, though some newer Snipping Tool versions may use the same combo, so depending on your setup, you may need to assign it yourself in PowerToys settings. I don't see a confirmation screen when I grab text with Text Extractor or have to press any extra buttons, which is exactly how a tool like this should work.

I can use this on anything that renders as an image. For example, I can grab text from memes with a quote I want to look up, screenshots from friends, or pictures of documents. Before I got into the habit of using the Text Extractor, all of that and more meant typing it out by hand while flicking my eyes between two windows like I was transcribing ancient scrolls. Now I only need a few seconds to grab the text and avoid any slip-ups.

Text Extractor gets me the text I don’t have access to

Now, grabbing text from locked apps and PDFs has never been this easy

The situation that drives me up the wall is when I open a PDF and find out that I can’t copy it. The text is staring me in the face, and before, I would just give up on it. Sometimes the PDF is a scanned image, and sometimes someone has disabled copying on purpose. Either way, I used to retype the part I needed, as if the last 20 years of computing had never happened.

Text Extractor doesn’t care what kind of PDF it is. I drag a box over the paragraph, and the text is copied to my clipboard. What’s even better is that I use clipboard syncing separately, so whatever text I copy from my laptop is automatically copied to my phone. Now, if I get an error message I can’t select, I grab the text the same way instead of typing it into Google by hand.

Grabbing text from YouTube videos takes me seconds now

Saving text from tutorials for personal reference is now part of my routine

This is the part that surprised me the most. I was watching a YouTube video about Zorin OS while researching, and the presenter flashed a slide packed with details I wanted to keep for reference. The routine used to include taking a screenshot and then adding the image to my Google Docs file. I also saw an Excel spreadsheet I wanted to keep, so I used the tool for that too. Now I can keep the file as text if I want and reduce the number of images.

I copied some text that said the installer detects over 240 Windows apps and saved it as usual in my doc. The PowerToys Text Extractor had some useful options that I know I’m going to be using from now on. For example, there’s a language dropdown so I can recognize text in other OCR languages, a single-line mode that joins everything into one line, and a table mode that helps preserve rows and columns so I can paste a table from a paused video straight into a spreadsheet. When I pasted it, it had some misread characters, but it was a small setback compared to typing the whole thing. For a tool this small, that's a great option to have handy.

Windows 11 already has a built-in way to do this

Snipping Tool extracts text too, so why install anything?

There is no denying that Snipping Tool can also extract text, though the exact options depend on your Windows version. Depending on the version you have, all you need to do is press Win + Shift + S -> click the Text extractor option or Text Actions -> drag the box over the text. You don't need to save a screenshot first. You don’t have to download PowerToys if it’s not something you know you’re going to use. Even when you access Text Extractor in PowerToys, there’s a message encouraging you to use the Snipping Tool.

After testing, there was a clear difference between them

Snipping Tool makes me wait, while PowerToys is faster

When I was testing both tools, I noticed a clear difference. While Snipping Tool had a fun, colorful frame to look at as it copied the text, it took longer to finish than Text Extractor. This is important when I’m in a hurry since the last thing I need is even the slightest delay, regardless of how “pretty” it looks.

Microsoft may recommend Snipping Tool, but which tool I go with depends on what it does and how fast it does it. If it were to ever fail, I'd obviously find a workaround, but that time hasn't come yet, so, for now, I'm sticking with PowerToys Text Extractor.

Retyping text is a habit I’m glad I broke

PowerToys Text Extractor is a tool that just makes grabbing text so easy. It’s not like I’m saying that it’s something that changed my life or anything, but I have to admit that it’s going to go on my go-to tools list. Sure, it can have its flaws, but what app doesn’t hiccup here and there? Also, the keyboard shortcut is easier to remember, and it’s the one my fingers reach for now.