Skip to main content

OCR / Screenshot Reader

Extract text from images, screenshots, videos, and PDFs. Copy it, hear it read aloud, or open it in Immersive Reader.

After OCR / Screenshot Reader was enabled
Before OCR / Screenshot Reader was enabled

Renamed in Helperbird 2026.7.28: Extract text (OCR) is now called the Screenshot Reader. It now reads equations automatically alongside ordinary text in the same capture — there is no separate maths mode to switch on — and each capture goes to a single destination you choose rather than to several at once.

Get Text Out of Images

See text in an image you can't select? A screenshot, a PDF scan, a photo of a document? Helperbird can extract it.

Draw a box around the area, and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) converts the image into actual text you can copy, read aloud, or use however you need.

Learn how to extract text from images

  • PDF Reader - Use all Helperbird tools on PDF documents with full accessibility support.
  • Text to Speech - Listen to extracted text read aloud in your preferred voice.
  • Printing Tool - Print extracted text in a clean, formatted layout.

What You Can Do With Extracted Text

Copy to clipboard: Paste it into a document, email, or anywhere else.

Read aloud: Have Helperbird speak the text using text-to-speech.

Open in Immersive Reader: View and customize the text in a clean, distraction-free format.

Save as a note: Keep it in Helperbird for later reference.


Where This Works

  • Images on websites: Text in photos, infographics, or screenshots
  • PDF scans: Scanned documents that aren't searchable
  • Video frames: Pause a video and extract visible text
  • Screenshots: Anything you can see on your screen

Who Uses This

Students extracting text from textbook images or lecture slides.

Researchers pulling quotes from scanned academic papers.

Professionals digitizing text from printed documents.

Anyone who needs to copy text that's trapped in an image.


Is This Free?

OCR / Screenshot Reader is a Pro feature in Helperbird.

Want the why, not the how? Read OCR: how computers read text in images — what it is, where it came from, and who it helps, with a demo you can try.

More writing features

I really liked the ease of setting up and also accessing the tool while you are on chrome. I had no trouble, and within a week found myself using it without even noticing.

Daniel C.
Daniel C.
Account Executive
Helperbird logo: a stylized owl with large round yellow eyes and a beige face.

Download Helperbird

Text to speech, dyslexia fonts, reading rulers, color overlays, and 44 more.

Free to add, and the everyday tools stay free. Works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.