Guide
How to copy text from a screenshot on Windows
To copy text you can see but can’t select, such as text in an image, a video, or a locked PDF, use OCR (text recognition). With BaseShot (free), choose Capture Text (OCR), drag over the text, and it is copied to your clipboard, ready to paste.
With BaseShot
- Download and open BaseShot. It runs from the system tray.
- Click the BaseShot icon in the system tray and choose Capture Text (OCR).
- Drag over the text you want to copy.
- Wait a moment while BaseShot shows Recognizing text…, then Text copied.
- Paste the text anywhere with Ctrl+V.
Text recognition runs on your computer, so it works offline and the image is not uploaded anywhere. Tip: set your own shortcut for Capture Text (OCR) in Settings → Shortcuts.
Built-in options
- Snipping Tool on Windows 11: take a screenshot, then click Text actions to select and copy text from it.
- Microsoft PowerToys: turn on Text Extractor, then press Windows+Shift+T and drag over the text.
Both work well for quick copies. BaseShot also keeps your screenshots, annotations, and recordings in one app.