How to copy text from an image on iPhone

How do I copy text from a photo or screenshot?

Use Live Text in the Photos app.

Then paste into Notes, Messages or any text field. The same gesture works in a screenshot, in images in Safari and in Quick Look previews of files.

1. Open the photo or screenshot in Photos.
2. Look for the Live Text icon at the lower right, a small square with lines, which appears when text is detected.
3. Touch and hold a word. The word highlights and handles appear.
4. Drag the handles to cover everything you want.
5. Tap Copy in the pop-up menu, or choose Select All, Translate, Look Up or Share.

How do I copy text with the camera?

Open the Camera app and point it at a printed page, a sign or a menu. When iOS detects text, a Live Text icon appears at the lower right of the viewfinder. Tap it to freeze the view and select words as above. You do not need to take a photo. The result is faster than typing out a phone number or a Wi-Fi password.

For long documents, the Notes app has a scan option that creates a PDF with searchable text. Live Text is better for short snippets.

Which iPhones support Live Text?

Apple introduced Live Text in iOS 15 and limits it to iPhones with the A12 Bionic chip or later, which means iPhone XS, XR and every model after them. Language support has grown with each iOS release, and the list is on Apple's support pages. Check the iPhone User Guide for the current languages. If your phone is older, you can copy text with a third-party scanner app instead.

Why does Live Text not work for me?

Check these in order:

If a few words are misread, copy them anyway and correct the result by hand.

• Update iOS. Live Text arrived in iOS 15, and later versions improved accuracy.
• Check the setting. Go to Settings, General, Language & Region and make sure Live Text is switched on.
• Check the language. The text must be in a language that Live Text supports.
• Improve the image. Blurred, tiny, curved or stylized text is often missed. Zoom in, or retake the shot in better light.
• Try a different view. Open the picture in the Photos app rather than a screenshot preview.
• Restart the phone. A restart fixes odd glitches.

Can I search my photos by the text inside them?

Yes. Photos search looks into recognized text, so typing a word that appears in a screenshot can bring that image up. Results depend on image quality and are best for clean text. This is why a screenshot of a receipt may appear when you search for the shop's name. For finding things in a big library, see how to find a screenshot on iPhone.

What should I do with the text after I copy it?

Copying is only half the job. Paste the text where you will use it, and add the one thing the image lacked: what you plan to do. A few common cases:

• A phone number: add it to a contact straight away.
• An address: save it to Maps or a place list.
• A recipe ingredient list: paste it into a note titled with the dish.
• A quote or fact: paste it with the source link.
• A code or password: use the Passwords app or delete the image afterwards. Do not leave codes in screenshots.

Is there an easier way to sort many screenshots?

If you have hundreds of images with text, copying each one is slow. Live Text works one image at a time. The screenshot organizing guide covers bulk methods.

KEEP, an iPhone app in development, takes a different route. You pick 10 or 20 images in the photo picker. KEEP uploads them to its server for text recognition, shows what it read, and files each image into one of seven folders: Places, Recipes, Shopping, Documents, Social, Notes and Photos. Each folder suggests an action. You can then sort one by one with a large button for the suggested action. The screenshots page has the steps. Limits are real: recognition is imperfect, small or stylized text may be misread, and images are uploaded, so skip anything with passwords or private chats. KEEP reads only the images you choose and has no access to your whole library.

How accurate is it?

For printed text in good light, Live Text is very accurate. Handwriting, fancy fonts and glare reduce accuracy. Always check numbers such as phone numbers and amounts, because a single wrong digit matters. Characters that look alike, such as the letter O and the digit 0, are common mistakes.

What else can Live Text do?

Once text is selected, the pop-up menu offers more than Copy. Translate converts a sign or menu into your language. Look Up searches the word in the dictionary or on the web. Share sends the text to another app. Tapping a phone number lets you call it, tapping an address opens it in Maps, and tapping a date can add an event to Calendar. In a paused video frame, Live Text also works on recent iOS versions.

These shortcuts matter for saved material. A poster for a concert can become a calendar event in three taps, and a business card photo can turn into a contact. Doing that on the day, while the image is still in front of you, is better than leaving the photo in the camera roll for later.

Does it work on handwriting and other languages?

Handwriting recognition is hit and miss. Neat block letters often work, and cursive often does not. Language coverage has grown with iOS releases, and you can see the supported list in Apple's documentation. If a language is unsupported, the text may be selected as a picture with no copy option. A third-party scanner app is the fallback.