At first, Windows 11 had no native optical character recognition (OCR). The closest you could get was Microsoft PowerToys, which offers a feature for copying text from images. Fortunately, Microsoft has changed that with a new feature in Snipping Tool.
After the update, Snipping Tool includes a new "Text Actions" feature that can help you copy text from screenshots. Let's take a closer look at this new feature in the article below.
What is the Text Actions feature in Snipping Tool?
At the time of writing, the current version of Snipping Tool lets you capture and annotate screenshots. You can even record your screen with Snipping Tool.
However, the latest builds in the Microsoft Insider Dev and Canary channels include an updated version of Snipping Tool with a "Text Actions" feature. This brings OCR support to screenshots, which means you can scan captured images for text.
You can copy a selected portion of the detected text, or copy all the text from a screenshot before saving it. You can also redact text and then copy the remaining text from the image.
How to enable and use Text Actions in Snipping Tool
The Text Actions feature in Snipping Tool is available to Windows Insider users on the Canary and Dev channels. So if you are on one of these channels, update your Windows Insider PC to the latest available build.
You can also use UUP Dump to download Windows Insider builds without enrolling in the Windows Insider program. After installing the latest build, check the Microsoft Store for available updates to Snipping Tool. Text Actions is included in version 11.2308.33.0 and later, so you need to install the latest Snipping Tool update to get to that version.
Follow these steps to use Text Actions in Snipping Tool:
1. Press the Win key, type Snipping Tool, and press Enter. Alternatively, press Win + Shift + S to launch the tool.
2. Now, choose any of the screenshot size options and take a screenshot.
3. Switch to the Snipping Tool window that shows the screenshot. Click the Text Actions icon.
4. The feature will detect all the text in the captured screenshot and highlight it. Click and drag the mouse to select a specific word or sentence from the screenshot.
5. Click Copy all text to copy everything from the image and save it to the clipboard.
6. Press the Win key, type Notepad, and press Enter.
7. Paste all the copied text into Notepad and save it for later use.
How to redact text in Snipping Tool
Besides detecting and copying text, you can also redact text in Snipping Tool. Redacting means excluding certain types of text that contain sensitive information. For now, the tool offers only two redaction options: email addresses and phone numbers.
After taking a screenshot and clicking the Text Actions button, you will see the Quick Redact option next to the Copy All text option. Click Quick Redact, and it will deselect and hide all phone numbers and email addresses. Now you can copy the remaining text with the Copy All text button.
If you only want to apply one type of redaction, click the arrow icon next to the Quick Redact option. Now uncheck any option, then click Quick Redact again. Finally, if you want to remove the redaction from the screenshot, click the arrow icon and then click the Remove all redactions button.
Text Actions in Snipping Tool removes the need to use Google Lens in a web browser. It also works without an internet connection and can even redact sensitive information. The feature is expected to arrive with the Windows 23H2 update for all Windows users.
