How To Extract Text From Image Using Snipping Tool

It’s not often but there will be times when you need to extract text from images. For example, maybe you want to copy an address, extract a phone number from a printed document, etc. Whatever your specific use case is, the Snipping Tool in Windows 11 can now extract text from images or screenshots. You don’t have to install any additional software. In this quick and straightforward tutorial, let me show you how to do it in simple steps.

Good to know: 3 methods to extract text from images in Windows

Extract Text From Image Using Snipping Tool

1. Press the “Windows key“.
2. Search for “Snipping Tool” and click “Open“.
3. Select the “Snip” (camera) option on the top bar.
4. Click the “New” button.
5. Take a screenshot.
6. Click the “Text actions” icon on the top/bottom bar.
7. Select the text you want to extract.
8. Right-click and select “Copy text“.
9. Paste the text in the notepad.
10. That’s it. You’ve extracted text from an image using the Snipping Tool.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, you must open the Snipping Tool app. To do that, open the Start menu by pressing the “Windows key“, search for “Snipping Tool“, and click “Open“.

Once the Snipping Tool opens, select the “Snip” (camera) icon and then click the “New” button to take a screenshot. If you already have an image, click the “three dots” icon on the top-right corner, select “Open file“, select the image, and click “Open“.

Once the screenshot/image opens in the Snipping Tool, click the “Text actions” icon on the top or bottom bar.

As soon as you do that, the Snipping Tool scans and extracts the text from the image. Select the text with your mouse cursor, right-click, and select “Copy text“.

Next, paste the text where you want. If want to save it, open the Notepad, paste the copied text there, and save the text document.

That is all. It is that simple to extract and copy text from an image using the Snipping Tool. While it works as intended in a vast majority of cases, it may fail to extract the text properly under certain circumstances such as unclear text, handwritten text, etc.

If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.