Convert PNG to Text
Ethical Tube's free PNG to Text converter reads the text in PNG images with OCR (optical character recognition) and gives you plain text to copy or download. It runs entirely in your browser, so your images are never uploaded, and it's free with no sign-up or watermark. The first conversion downloads the Tesseract OCR engine (6 MB) once, and it's cached after that.
Files are converted on your device and never uploaded.
- Price
- Free
- Uploads
- None, it runs on your device
- Sign-up
- Not needed
- Batch
- Unlimited files
- Output
- Text to copy or download
- First use
- 6 MB download, once
How it works
How to convert PNG to Text
Add your PNG files
Drop PNG files onto the converter, click to choose them, or paste from the clipboard. Add as many as you like.
Check the settings
Pick the language of the text. English is built in, and other languages download once when you choose them.
Download your text files
Copy the result from the preview, or download it. With several files, Download all saves them in one ZIP file.
The formats
PNG and Text at a glance
What is a PNG file?
PNG is a lossless image format, so it keeps every pixel exactly as it was saved. It supports transparent backgrounds, which makes it the usual choice for logos, screenshots, and graphics with sharp edges or text. A photo saved as PNG is often several times larger than the same photo as a JPG. It opens in every web browser, Windows Photos, macOS Preview, iPhone and Android galleries, and editors like Photoshop, GIMP, and Figma.
What is a TXT file?
A TXT file is plain text: characters only, with no fonts, images, or layout. It's the most universal document format there is, readable by every device and program, and ideal for notes, code, and feeding text into other tools. It opens in every computer and phone, including Notepad, TextEdit, VS Code, and any browser or word processor.
Good to know
What changes when you convert PNG to Text
- Printed text in clear photos, scans, and screenshots is recognized best. Handwriting usually isn't.
- Paragraph breaks are kept. Fonts, colors, columns, and tables aren't.
- English is built in. Choose another language before converting, and it downloads once.
- The first conversion downloads Tesseract OCR compiled to WebAssembly (6 MB). It's cached, so later visits start quickly.
- Blurry, tilted, or low-contrast photos produce more mistakes, so check the text before you rely on it.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is this PNG to Text converter free?
Yes. It's completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark, and no limit on how many files you convert. It costs Ethical Tube nothing to run, because the conversion happens on your own device rather than on a server.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside your browser with Tesseract OCR compiled to WebAssembly, so your files never leave your device. Once the page and the engine have loaded, it even works offline.
Can it read scanned documents?
Yes. Scans and photos have no text layer, so the text is read with OCR (optical character recognition) in your browser. It handles clear printed text well, makes occasional mistakes, and usually can't read handwriting.
Can I convert several PNG files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like. They're converted one after another, and you can download each TXT file as soon as it's ready or all of them in one ZIP file.
Does it work on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows?
Yes. It works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari, on computers and phones. Large batches finish faster on a computer.
What can open a TXT file?
Every computer and phone, including Notepad, TextEdit, VS Code, and any browser or word processor.
Is there a file size limit?
There's no upload limit because nothing is uploaded. The practical limit is your device's memory: everyday files are fine, and most computers handle images up to about 100 megapixels.
Keep converting
Related converters
Start your first recording in seconds
It's free, it runs in your browser, and there's no account to create.
Start recording for free