Documents are easy to work with but what about images with a lot of text? If it’s just a few words, you could type it out manually. But what if it’s over 100 words long or in a different language? With the Snipping Tool on Windows, you can extract text from images and save yourself the hassle of manual typing it out.
How Is Text Extracted From Images
The Snipping Tool uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to identify and extract text from images. It uses algorithms and machine learning to analyze the visual elements in an image and convert them into machine-readable and editable text. There are quite a few popular apps that use of this technology, like Microsoft Lens, Adobe Scan, Google Lens, CamScanner, and Google Docs.
Also Read: Which one should you pick between CamScanner vs. Adobe Scan vs. Microsoft Lens?
Check the Microsoft Store to update the Snipping Tool
Download: Snipping Tool
1. Browse to the image you want to extract text from.
2. After that right-click on the image and click ‘Open with’ and select the Snipping Tool option.
3. Click on the Text Actions button (a rounded square icon with three lines inside), and it will begin analyzing the image.
4. After that, you’ll see two options: Copy all text and Quick redact. Hit the Copy all text option to copy all the highlighted text in the image, or you can manually select and copy the text yourself.
For example, in the following image, we will only copy the paragraph and verify its accuracy.
Paste the text in a word processor app like Notepad, Word, or Google Docs. You’ll see that the text correctly without misplacing any characters.
It’s quite amazing how Snipping Tool could extract the watermark text, which was barely visible. If you have such images, you’ll only notice when you highlight all text in an image.
FAQs
1. Will the Snipping Tool also copy the same text format?
Unfortunately, no. It will only copy the text in plain format, regardless of whether the text is in a spreadsheet format or has different colors, styles, or sizes.
2. Can I use the Snipping Tool to extract text from YouTube videos?
Yes, pause a video and take a screenshot of the frame. Later, you can open the image using the Snipping Tool and from there, you can extract the text.
Turning Images Into Words
While there are numerous OCR applications and web tools available, having this feature built right into the Snipping Tool eliminates the need for 3rd-party apps. Over time, Microsoft has expanded the functionality of the Snipping Tool beyond its original screenshot-taking capabilities.
For example, did you know you can use the Snipping Tool for screen recordings?
