# Chromebook OCR: how to copy text from an image or screenshot For OCR on a Chromebook, take a partial screenshot, choose Search with Google and then Copy text, which puts the words on your clipboard[1]. A screenshot is also copied to the clipboard as an image the moment you take it[2], so you can press Ctrl+V in the free Chromebook OCR box above and get the full text or a Word file. ## How to copy text from an image on a Chromebook 1. **Make Google your default search engine.** Search my screen with Google Lens depends on it[1]. 2. **Open Screen Capture and take a partial screenshot.** Press the Screenshot key, or Shift + Ctrl + Show windows if your keyboard has none[2]. Choose Take partial screenshot and drag over the text[1]. 3. **Select Search with Google.** The results open in a Google Search window[1]. 4. **Choose Copy text.** The text from your selection goes to the clipboard. The option appears when text is detected[1]. You can start the same search from the Launcher, then Lens, then drag over the area you want[1]. ## Other built-in ways on ChromeOS - **Gallery app**: Open an image or PDF, select Search with Google Lens at the top and choose an area. Google lists copying text and translating a PDF among the uses[3] - **Text capture**: Partial screenshot, More actions, Copy text. Chromebook Plus only, for users 18 or older in supported countries[4] - **Chrome browser**: Right-click an image on a web page and choose Search with Google Lens[5] All of these copy a selection. They are made for a line or a paragraph, not for turning a five-page handout into a document you can edit. ## Paste a screenshot into the free OCR ChromeOS copies every screenshot to the clipboard as soon as you take it[2]. That makes the free tool above the fastest route for a whole screen. Take the screenshot, click on this page and press Ctrl+V. Paste up to 5 screenshots before you press the button, and the text of all of them comes back together. 1. **Take a screenshot.** Full screen, a window or a partial selection all work. 2. **Press Ctrl+V on this page.** The screenshot appears in the box. Repeat for up to 5 images. 3. **Get the text.** Copy it, or download it as a .txt or Word file. No account, nothing to install from the Chrome Web Store. The same box takes JPG, PNG, HEIC and PDF files from the Files app, up to 5 MB. ## Chromebook OCR for school work A web page needs no install, so LoreAI works on a school Chromebook the same way it works on any computer with Chrome. - A worksheet as a PDF from Google Classroom: upload it to get the text, or convert it to Word to type your answers in. - Photos of a textbook page from your phone: send them to yourself and drop them in the box. - Handwritten notes: the [handwritten notes guide](https://www.loreai.org/digitize-handwritten-notes) shows how to turn a notebook into one Word file. For a long scan, upload the PDF in the [LoreAI app](https://www.loreai.org/app). It reads every page with OCR and returns an editable Word file with headings, lists and tables. Your first document is free, up to 3 pages. ## Questions people ask ### Does a Chromebook have built-in OCR? Yes. Search my screen with Google Lens has a Copy text option when it detects text[1], and the Gallery app opens Lens on images and PDFs[3]. ### How do I copy text from a screenshot on a Chromebook? Take a partial screenshot, select Search with Google, then Copy text[1]. For the whole screen, paste the screenshot into the free tool on this page with Ctrl+V. ### Why is there no Copy text button? Copy text shows only when text is detected in the selection[1], and Lens needs Google as the default search engine[1]. ### Can I OCR a PDF on a Chromebook? Open it in Gallery and search an area with Google Lens[3], or upload the whole PDF to the free tool above. ## Sources 1. [Chromebook Help: Search with Lens on your Chromebook](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/16353586?hl=en), accessed November 9, 2026 2. [Chromebook Help: Take a screenshot or record your screen](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/10474268?hl=en), accessed November 9, 2026 3. [Chromebook Help: Use Google Lens on Gallery in Chromebook](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/15424571?hl=en), accessed November 9, 2026 4. [Chromebook Help: Use Text capture on your Chromebook Plus](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/16355371?hl=en), accessed November 9, 2026 5. [Google Chrome Help: Search with Google Lens in Chrome](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/15086890?hl=en), accessed November 9, 2026 By Matt Mountain ยท Updated November 9, 2026