Convert JPG to Text
Extract editable text from a JPG — pick a language, run OCR in your browser, then copy or download the result.
Drop an image to read
Drag & drop, paste, or pick a file
PNG · JPG · WebP — text is read on your device
Turn a JPG photo into editable text
JPG (or JPEG) is the format most photos and phone snaps use, so it's the format most people have when they need to pull text out of a picture — a photographed page, a receipt, a slide, or a sign. This page is set up for exactly that: drop a JPG, pick the language, and the tool reads the words on your device and drops them into an editable box.
Because JPG uses lossy compression, a heavily compressed or low-resolution JPG can look soft, which makes recognition harder. For the cleanest result, use the largest, sharpest JPG you have and make sure the text is upright and well-lit.
Best for
- Photographed or scanned documents saved as JPG
- Receipts, invoices, and forms
- Slides, posters, and signs
- Screenshots exported as JPG
How it works
- Add your image — drag & drop, paste, or choose a file.
- Pick the language of the text for the best accuracy.
- Press Extract text and watch the progress bar.
- Edit the result, then copy it or download a .txt or searchable PDF.
What this does & how to get the cleanest text
- What it does
- Reads the printed text in a JPG photo or scan with Tesseract.js, entirely in your browser, and returns it as editable text.
- What you get
- An editable text box you can correct, then copy, download as a .txt file, or export as a searchable PDF (your JPG with a selectable text layer on top).
- Runs in
- Your browser, on your device (Tesseract.js) — the engine and your chosen language download once, then it works offline.
Tips for accurate JPG recognition
- JPG is lossy, so the compression artefacts around letters are the main thing that hurts accuracy — start from the largest, least-compressed JPG you have rather than a small one re-saved from chat or social media.
- If you took the JPG with a phone, hold the camera parallel to the page so lines stay straight; Tesseract reads horizontal lines best and a tilted shot lowers accuracy noticeably.
- Even lighting beats brightness — a flatly lit page with no glare or hard shadow reads better than a bright photo with a reflection across the text.
- Very large JPGs are automatically scaled down to 2600 px on the long edge before recognition, which is plenty for document text; you don't need to shrink the file yourself first.
- Printed and typed text is recognised far more reliably than handwriting, which Tesseract handles only loosely.
Languages & scripts it can read
Pick the language that matches your image before running OCR — it loads the right model and improves accuracy, and it's required for non-Latin scripts. The curated selector covers these scripts:
| Script | Example languages |
|---|---|
| Latin | English, Spanish, French, German, Vietnamese |
| Cyrillic | Russian, Ukrainian |
| Greek | Greek |
| Arabic | Arabic, Persian, Urdu |
| Hebrew | Hebrew |
| Devanagari | Hindi |
| Other Indic | Bengali, Tamil, Telugu |
| Thai | Thai |
| CJK | Chinese (Simplified/Traditional), Japanese, Korean |
Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Hebrew are read right-to-left and the result box flips to match. Printed and typed text is recognised most reliably; handwriting and very small or decorative type are less accurate, so review the result.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Yes — completely free, with no watermark and no sign-up.
Where does the text recognition happen?
It happens in your browser, on your own device. The first run downloads the OCR engine and your chosen language; after that it works offline. How any data associated with the tool is handled is described in our privacy policy.
Which languages can it read?
Over 100, across Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, Hebrew, Devanagari and CJK scripts. Choose the one that matches your image before running OCR.
Can I get a searchable PDF?
Yes — after extracting, choose Download PDF for the original image with a selectable text layer on top.