Copy text from any image on Windows.

With Circo

Copy the words in four steps.

1. Show the image. Open the picture, document, website, video, or app that contains the text.
2. Press Alt + C. You can replace this shortcut in Circo settings.
3. Draw a box around the words. Keep the edges clear of letters.
4. Choose Copy text. Review the result, then copy all or just the part you need.

Useful examples

Copy what normal selection cannot reach.

• An error message inside an app or remote desktop.
• A recipe or address inside a photo.
• Subtitles from a paused video.
• Text in a scanned PDF that has no selectable layer.
• A product code, tracking number, or table cell.
• Writing inside a game, presentation, or livestream.

Before you paste

Read important text once.

OCR is helpful, but it can make mistakes when letters are small, blurred, stylized, partly hidden, or low contrast. Check phone numbers, prices, names, links, serial numbers, and commands before using them.

Zooming in and selecting fewer words usually improves the result. A box is often cleaner than a circle for paragraphs and tables.

Without Circo

Other ways to copy image text.

Windows 11 Snipping Tool offers text actions on supported releases. Microsoft PowerToys Text Extractor works on Windows 10 and 11. OneNote and some PDF apps can also run OCR on imported images.

Circo saves a few steps when the text is already visible and you also want visual search or translation beside the copy action.

Troubleshooting

If the result looks wrong.

Nothing was found

Make the text larger, wait for motion to stop, and select a tighter area with clear contrast.

The lines are mixed up

Capture one column or paragraph at a time. Complex tables and decorative layouts can confuse reading order.

The shortcut does not open

Open Circo from the Start menu, check that it is running in the tray, and choose another shortcut if Alt + C is already used by another app.