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Screenshot2Text

Screenshot2Text

JPG to Text

To convert a JPG to text, drop the JPG or JPEG file on this page. The text appears in the box below, ready to edit, copy, or save as a .txt file. OCR runs in your browser and we don't upload your file. There is no account to make.

JPG is the usual format for camera photos and for images sent in chat or email. It is lossy, so compression can blur punctuation, thin text, and small letters. In our test, every JPEG quality level had a higher mean error than the same screenshots as PNG, so use a PNG or the original camera file when you have one.

Rotate the image so lines of text run straight across, and crop to the part you need. A small preview from a chat or email often drops commas or mixes up I, l, and 1. Printed type reads best. Handwriting and stylized signs are weaker. PNG, WebP, and PDF files work on this same reader too.

Or open the main free tool

OCR runs in the browser. We don't upload your file for OCR.

Drop a screenshot, image, or PDF here

PNG, JPG, WEBP, GIF, BMP, or PDF · several files at once · tap to browse

Or paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V or ⌘V

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How JPEG did in our test

In run 3 of our OCR accuracy test, on September 25, 2026, we saved the same 22 screenshots as PNG and as JPEG at four quality levels, then read every file with the same code this page runs. Lower character error rate (CER) is better. The figures come from the run 3 CSV.

Screenshot2Text results for 22 screenshots as PNG and JPEG, run 3, September 25, 2026
VersionMean CERMedian CERWord recallRead with no errors
PNG (lossless)0.65%0.00%96.82%12 of 22
JPEG quality 902.07%0.00%96.58%12 of 22
JPEG quality 701.31%0.00%95.83%12 of 22
JPEG quality 501.48%0.00%95.50%12 of 22
JPEG quality 302.17%0.00%94.77%12 of 22

Every JPEG level had a higher mean error than PNG, but the order between JPEG levels is noisy with only 22 images. Quality 90 looks worse than quality 70 because of two screenshots. ui04-account at quality 90 scored 16.67%, exactly the same in all three of our runs, and num01-receipt scored 4.59% at quality 90 against 0.92% at quality 70. In ui04-account, a label and its value came back on separate lines in the wrong order. One odd file can move a mean this much at n=22.

Where heavy compression does hurt, it hurts code and punctuation first. Here is the same code screenshot, code01-js, as a PNG and as a JPEG at quality 30.

JavaScript code screenshot of an async function fetchUser that fetches /api/users/ with an id, throws an error if the response is not ok, and returns name and email
code01-js as PNG. Run 3 CER 1.80%.
The same JavaScript code screenshot saved as a JPEG at quality 30, with blocky compression marks around the letters
The same screenshot as JPEG quality 30, the exact file we tested. Run 3 CER 15.32%.
Line 2 from the PNG
const res = await fetch( /api/users/${id} );
Line 2 from the JPEG at quality 30
const res await

Both lines come from our run 3 output. The PNG read lost the backticks around the URL, which is a normal fix to make by hand. The quality 30 JPEG lost the rest of the line. If you can get the original PNG or a higher quality export, use it. If the JPEG is all you have, it is still worth a try: at every quality level we tested, 12 of the 22 JPEG files read perfectly.

FAQ

Can I convert a JPG or JPEG to text?
Yes. Drop a .jpg or .jpeg file on this page. Recognition runs in the browser with open-source OCR and the text appears in the box below the drop zone, where you can edit it and then copy or save a .txt file. PNG and WebP work on the same reader if that is what you have.
Should I use PNG instead of JPG?
If you still have a PNG screenshot, use that. Lossless pixels keep thin fonts sharper than a re-saved JPEG. This reader already accepts PNG and WebP, and the dedicated PNG-to-text page is /png-to-text. Camera JPEGs are fine when the type is large and well lit. Chat or email preview thumbnails are the usual weak case because compression already threw detail away.
Why is text missing from my JPEG?
Heavy compression, a small resolution, or a tilted shot can hide letters. Use the original camera-roll file rather than a chat or email preview, crop to the paragraph you need, and rotate so lines of type are horizontal. Expect gaps on decorative or handwritten type. Running the same soft preview again rarely helps.
Does converting a JPG upload my file?
No. The JPEG is decoded and read in this tab. We do not upload it for OCR and we do not store the image or the extracted text on a server. The first run may briefly fetch small recognition files to your device; those requests ask for named assets, not your picture.
Is JPG to text free?
Yes, and it stays free. No account, no trial, and no payment to read a JPEG. Ads on the page cover hosting. Drop one file or several, and mix formats in the same batch if you need to.