Image to Text Converter (OCR)
Copy text out of screenshots, scanned pages and photos of documents. Read several pages at once, fix anything in the editable result, and copy or download it. Nothing is uploaded.
- Never uploaded
- Free, no sign-up
- No watermark
- Works on phones
- Works offline after one download
Works offline after one download.
Your images are read on your device and never uploaded.
Pages
The first time, the reader and its language models download once (about 6 MB for Amharic + English) and are then kept on this device.
Text
yellow the reader wasn’t sure · green corrected with the Amharic word list (tap it to switch back to what was read). You can edit the text directly.
See what it does
Before: Photo of a page
After: Text it foundHow to convert an image to text
- Add one or more images: screenshots, scans or photos of printed pages.
- Choose the language (English, Amharic, or both) and tap “Read text”.
- Edit the result if needed, then copy it or download it as a .txt file.
Why use Picsawa
- Private by designFiles are processed on your device and never uploaded.
- Free, no sign-upNo account, no watermark and no daily limits.
- Works everywherePhones, tablets and computers, in any modern browser.
About the Image to Text (OCR) tool
Text recognition runs in your browser with Tesseract, the open-source OCR engine, so even confidential documents stay on your device. Phone photos are cleaned up first to remove shadows and uneven light, which makes a big difference for text recognition.
You can read many pages in one go and reorder or rotate them first. Each page’s text appears in its own editable box; words the reader wasn’t sure about are highlighted so you know what to check.
Amharic is supported too, with automatic fixes for common Amharic misreadings. Choose “Amharic + English” for text that mixes both.
Frequently asked questions
Are my images uploaded?
No. The text is read in your browser with an on-device engine. Your photos and the text never leave your phone or computer, so private letters and forms stay private.
Can it read handwriting?
No. It reads printed or typed text: letters, books, forms, notices, screenshots. Handwriting usually comes out wrong.
How do I get the best result?
Photograph the page flat and straight, in good even light, close enough that the text fills the photo. Rotate pages upright before reading. Screenshots of clear text work very well.
Why does the first read take longer?
The first time, the reading engine and language models are downloaded once (about 6 MB for Amharic + English). They are then kept in your browser, so the next time starts right away, even offline.
What do the highlighted words mean?
Yellow words are ones the reader wasn’t sure about, so please check them. Green words were corrected using a list of common Amharic words; tap one to switch back to what was read. You can edit all of the text before you copy it.