Choose images or a PDF, drag them here, or paste a screenshot (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V)
JPG, PNG, WEBP, BMP, GIF, PDF. Up to 30 files. Stays on your device.
JPG, PNG, WEBP, BMP, GIF, PDF. Up to 30 files. Stays on your device.
Choose or paste an image to start. Nothing is uploaded.
- OCR in your browserTesseract runs on your device
- 0 uploadsImages and PDFs stay local
- 30+ languagesPlus scanned multi-page PDFs
- No sign-upNo account needed
How to do it
Press Cmd+Shift+Ctrl+4 to copy a screenshot region to the clipboard, then Cmd+V on this page.
Tip: macOS Live Text can also copy text from images in Preview and Photos. TextRuler is handy for batches, PDFs and downloads as .txt, .doc or .csv.
How it works
- Choose, drop or paste images or a PDF.
- PDF pages that already contain text are extracted directly. Images and scanned pages are read with Tesseract OCR in your browser.
- Copy the text, or download it as .txt, .doc (Word) or .csv (Excel).
Get the best results
| Works well | Works poorly |
|---|---|
| Screenshots and clean scans | Cursive or messy handwriting |
| Printed text, 10pt or larger | Tiny, blurry or low-light photos |
| Straight, flat pages | Curved pages, steep angles, glare |
| Plain fonts | Decorative fonts, text over busy images |
Choose the correct language: OCR uses a model trained for each script. For mixed-language pages, set a second language.
Private by design
Most free OCR websites upload your document to their server. TextRuler runs the OCR engine in your browser, so your images and PDFs never leave your device.
Related guides
- Image to text converter (free OCR)
- JPG to text
- PNG to text
- Extract text from JPG online free
- Screenshot to text
- Long screenshot to text (scrolling capture)
- WEBP image to text
- Photo of a document to text
Frequently asked questions
Is TextRuler free?
Yes, free with no sign-up and no page limits, because it runs on your device.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Images and PDFs are processed in your browser.
Can it read handwriting?
Not reliably. It is designed for printed text.