Convert JPG to Text - Free OCR

This tool turns the text inside a JPG photo into text you can copy, edit, and save. Point your phone at a receipt, a notebook page, a sign, or a document you scanned and saved as a JPG. You get real text back in seconds, on your phone or your computer.

How to Turn a JPG Into Text

1. Add your photo: Upload the JPG, drag and drop it, or paste it with Ctrl+V. On a phone, tap Take a photo to use the camera. A PNG, WebP, or HEIC photo works too, if that is what you have.
2. Crop and pick a language: Drag the crop box around just the text you need, and rotate the photo if it came out sideways. Pick up to 3 languages if the text is not in English.
3. Tap Extract Text: The OCR engine loads once, then reads your photo. It is cached after the first time, so the next photo starts right away.
4. Copy, fix, or download: The result box is editable, so fix anything by hand before you copy it. Or download it as a .txt file or a real Word .docx file.

A JPG, or a JPEG - same format, different spelling - is not the only picture this tool reads. A screenshot saved as PNG works better on the PNG to text tool, built for screenshots. Any other picture at all works on the general image to text tool.

Why OCR Reads Your JPG Photo Accurately

A flatbed scan comes out flat and evenly lit. A JPG from a phone camera rarely does - the page tilts, a corner catches a shadow, and the light is not even.

The OCR reads your photo twice to make up for that. The first read takes the photo exactly as it is. The second read straightens the page, evens out the lighting, and removes ruled lines before reading again.

Ruled lines matter on a receipt or a form, where the printed lines can get read as random letters if nothing removes them first. The tool then keeps whichever of the two reads it trusts more, so you get the better result without extra work. A phone number, a total, or a GST or account number gets a second, focused look when the engine is not fully sure.

Get It as a Word File

Plain text is not always what you need. Turn on Keep layout before you run the tool, and the text lines up in columns close to how it sat on the photo. That is useful for a receipt or a form with fields side by side.

When you are done, download the result as a .txt file or a real Word .docx file, ready to open in any word processor. Copying straight to the clipboard works too, if you just need to paste the text somewhere else.

Over 100 Languages, Including Hindi

Pick up to 3 languages before you tap Extract Text. Choose from a searchable list of more than 100, including Hindi and plenty that use a different script entirely.

This matters most when your photo is not in English. It also helps when a page mixes two languages, like a bilingual sign or a form with English next to a regional language. Pick every language you see, and the tool checks the photo against each one.

Nothing Is Uploaded

Your photo, and the text it turns into, never leave your device. Nothing is uploaded to a server, so there is no copy of your receipt or document sitting anywhere but your own phone or computer. The only network cost is a one-time download of the reading engine, about 4MB, and the language data you pick, cached after the first time.

Tips for a Cleaner JPG Photo

A steady, well-lit photo reads better than a blurry, dim one. Hold your phone with both hands, or rest it on something solid, before you tap the shutter.

Fill the frame with just the text you need. A wide shot of a whole desk or table gives the reading engine more clutter to search through, and more chances for a mistake.

A hard shadow across the page is the most common cause of a missed word. Move the light, or change your angle, until the shadow clears the text completely.

Leave Keep layout on for a receipt, an invoice, or any form with fields side by side, so the columns stay lined up. Turn it off for a page of plain paragraphs, like a letter or a printed note, where reflowed text is easier to read and copy.

FAQ

Is it free, and does the download have a watermark?
Yes, it is free, with no signup and no watermark on the text, the .txt file, or the Word file.

Can I get the result as a Word document?
Yes, download it as a .docx file ready to open in any word processor, or keep it as a plain .txt file.

Does it read handwriting?
This OCR is built and tuned for printed and typed text, like a receipt, a book, or a sign. Handwriting is much less reliable, so treat those results as a rough starting point, not a final copy. Going the other direction - turning typed text into something that looks handwritten - is a job for our text to handwriting tool.

Does it work on a phone?
Yes, the upload, crop, and download all work the same on a phone browser as on a desktop one. You can even tap Take a photo to shoot the picture with your camera instead of picking an existing file.

How many languages does it support?
More than 100, including English, Hindi, and many languages that use a non-Latin script. Pick up to 3 at once, which helps on a photo that mixes two languages on the same page.