How to copy text from a picture on iPhone with Live Text
How to scan text into a note on iPhone
Notes can read text straight from the camera, in supported languages. In a note, tap the attachment button, then Scan Text, hold the iPhone so the text is in the frame, select the text and tap Insert[2].
For a paper page you want to keep as a file, tap Scan Documents instead. The iPhone captures the page when it finds its edges, you add more pages, and the result is saved as a PDF in the note[2]. The Files app has the same Scan Documents command under the More button[3].
Turn an iPhone photo into text with the free tool on this page
- Open this page in Safari and choose the photo. HEIC photos from the iPhone camera work as they are, as do JPG, PNG, WEBP and one-page PDFs up to 5 MB.
- Press Get the text. The whole page is read with OCR in a few seconds, with no app and no account.
- Copy or download. Copy the text, or save a .txt file or a Word document to Files.
Live Text is quick for a phone number or a paragraph. The tool here reads the whole page in one go, which saves you from selecting line by line through a letter, a form or a page of notes.
Can an iPhone turn handwriting into text?
Apple's Live Text page lists the devices and languages but says nothing about handwriting[1]. LoreAI reads cursive and printed handwriting from a photo, so a page of class notes or a family letter comes back as editable text. For whole notebooks, see handwriting to text.
iPhone OCR options at a glance
| Option | Start from | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Live Text in Photos | A photo, a paused video or an image online[1] | A selection, or all text with Select All[1] |
| Notes, Scan Text | The camera, in supported languages[2] | Text inserted into a note[2] |
| Notes or Files, Scan Documents | Paper pages[2][3] | A PDF of the pages[2] |
| LoreAI in Safari | A HEIC, JPG or PNG photo or a PDF | The whole page as text, or a Word file with tables |
Many pages into one Word file
Scan the pages with Notes or Files into a PDF, then upload that PDF in the LoreAI app. You get one editable Word file with headings, lists and tables in the order of the original, handwriting and stamps included, and you can translate it into one of 105 languages in the same step. Your first document is free, up to 3 pages.
To turn a batch of HEIC photos into one PDF first, use the HEIC to PDF converter. For a single photo into Word, see the photo to Word converter. On a Mac or a PC, read OCR on Mac or OCR on Windows.
Questions people ask
How do I copy text from a picture on my iPhone?
Open the photo in Photos, touch and hold a word, adjust the grab points and tap Copy. Select All takes every word[1].
Why can't I select text in a photo on my iPhone?
Live Text needs an iPhone XS, iPhone XR or later with iOS 15 or later, and it has to be on in Settings, General, Language and Region[1].
Is there a free OCR app for iPhone?
Can I convert a HEIC photo to text?
Yes. Upload the HEIC photo to the box on this page and the text comes back in a few seconds, ready to copy or download as Word.
Sources
- Apple Support: Use Live Text to get information from photos, videos, and images, accessed November 6, 2026
- iPhone User Guide: Scan text and documents in Notes using the iPhone camera, accessed November 6, 2026
- Apple Support: How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad, accessed November 6, 2026
By Matt Mountain ·