Pillar·8 min
How to copy text from an image, screenshot or PDF
Text trapped in a picture or a flattened PDF is not really stuck. Optical character recognition can lift it out on any device, including scans that refuse to select.
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Copying text from images and PDFs
Text inside a picture, a screenshot or a flattened PDF is not really stuck. Optical character recognition can lift it out, and these pages show how on every device, including the tricky scanned and locked files.
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7 min
Snipping Tool for Mac: what to use instead
Snipping Tool is Windows only, but every Mac has its own version built in. The shortcuts, the Screenshot app, screen recording, and what each Snipping Tool feature is called on a Mac.
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How to copy text from a PDF
A normal PDF lets you select and copy like any document. A scanned or locked one needs a different approach. Both kinds handled, on desktop and phone.
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How to copy text from a picture
Your phone can already read the words inside a photo, you just have to know where to tap. Copying text from a picture on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac.
Read6 min
How to copy text from a scanned or locked PDF
A scanned PDF is really a photo of a page, and a locked one blocks copy on purpose. Pulling the text out of each, using OCR and a couple of safe workarounds.
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How to extract text from a screenshot
A screenshot looks like a dead end if you need the words inside it, but it is not. Extracting text from a screenshot on every device, and copying it out.
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