How to convert a whiteboard photo to text
- Photograph the board. Stand in front of the middle of the board, not at an angle, and fit the whole board in the frame. Switch the flash off.
- Upload the photo below. A JPG, PNG, WEBP or HEIC photo up to 5 MB, straight from your phone's camera roll.
- Press Get the text. The writing on the board appears typed out after a few seconds, in reading order from top left.
- Copy it or download it. Paste the text into your notes, or download it as .txt or as a Word file to keep with the lecture.
Taking a photo of a whiteboard that reads well
A whiteboard is shiny, so the main enemy is glare. A blackboard is dark, so the enemy is low light. These habits fix both.
- Turn the flash off. On a whiteboard it leaves a white spot that hides the writing under it.
- Step to the side of a ceiling light's reflection, then square up to the board again.
- On a blackboard, use the room lights at full and hold the phone steady, or lean on a desk.
- Wait for the lecturer to step away, so nobody stands in front of the last line.
- For a wide board, take one photo of each half and convert them one after the other.
- Crop off the wall and the ceiling before you upload, so the board fills the picture.
Is there a whiteboard mode on my phone?
Microsoft Lens had one, but Microsoft retired the Lens app starting January 9, 2026 and removed it from the App Store and Google Play on February 9, 2026[1]. Microsoft now recommends the OneDrive app, which has a built-in scanner[1].
In OneDrive for Android, tap Scan and choose Whiteboard, Document, Business Card or Photo before you take the picture[2]. Multi-page scanning combines up to 10 pages or images into one PDF, and files are saved as PDFs[2]. Microsoft's page does not say that OneDrive turns the board into editable text, so upload the scan here to get the words.
The box on this page reads page 1 of a PDF. For a scan with several boards, upload the PDF to the LoreAI app, which reads every page into one Word file. Your first document is free, up to 3 pages and 3 MB.
What comes through from a board
- Words in marker or chalk
- Typed out line by line
- Bullet points and numbered steps
- Kept as a list
- Formulas written as text
- Typed out in the order written
- A table drawn on the board
- A real table in the Word file
- Several colours of marker
- All read as one text
- Sketches and diagrams
- An image in the Word file, in the app with images included
To keep a drawing, upload the photo to the LoreAI app and tick Include images in results. The drawing sits in the Word file as an image, between the typed lines around it.
Whiteboards from meetings and study sessions
The same steps work outside class. Snap the board at the end of a group project meeting, convert it, and paste the action points into the group chat or a shared document. To add a board to a file of lecture notes, see lecture notes to Word. For notes in your own handwriting on paper, use handwriting to text.
Questions people ask
Can I convert notes from a photo of the whiteboard on my phone?
Yes. Upload the photo from your camera roll in the box on this page, in your phone's browser, and the text appears typed out.
Does it work on a blackboard or chalkboard?
Yes. Chalk on a dark board is read the same way as marker on a whiteboard. Photograph it with the room lights on.
Is whiteboard OCR free?
Yes. The box on this page is free for 1 run a day with no account, and 10 a day with a free account.
Can I get the whiteboard as a Word document?
Yes. Choose the Word download after the text appears, or convert a PDF of several boards in the LoreAI app for one Word file.
Sources
- Microsoft Support: Retirement of Microsoft Lens, accessed November 6, 2026
- Microsoft Support: Scan a whiteboard, document, business card, or photo in OneDrive for Android, accessed November 6, 2026
By Matt Mountain ·