Quick answer: Open the image in Photos, touch and hold a word until it's selected, drag the handles over the text you want, and tap Copy. Or tap the Live Text button in the corner to highlight all the text at once. It works on iPhone XS and newer.
Written for iOS 18 and iOS 26. Menu names can differ slightly on older versions.
A Wi-Fi password on a router sticker, an address on a sign, a quote in a screenshot: the words are right there, stuck in an image. Live Text lets you select them like normal text. Here's every place it works.
What you need
- An iPhone XS, XR or newer.
- Live Text turned on: Settings → General → Language & Region → Live Text.
- Text in a supported language. Most major languages work, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Copy text from a photo or screenshot
- Open the photo in Photos.
- Touch and hold a word until it's highlighted.
- Drag the blue handles to cover the text you want.
- Tap Copy, then paste it anywhere.
Highlight all the text at once
When an image contains text, a Live Text button (a small square with lines in it) appears in the bottom corner. Tap it and every readable word is highlighted, so you can quickly select a whole paragraph or tap a phone number, link or address directly.
Copy text straight from the camera
- Open Camera and point it at the text.
- When the Live Text button appears, tap it.
- Select the text and tap Copy. No photo is saved.
Perfect for a serial number on a box or a one-time code on a router.
Copy text from a video or a web image
Pause any video in Photos (or in Safari) and Live Text works on the paused frame. It also works on images inside Safari, Messages and Quick Look, so you can grab text from a picture someone sent you without saving it first.
Do more than copy
- Call or text a detected phone number.
- Open in Maps a detected address.
- Translate selected text in another language.
- Convert prices and measurements: tap a detected currency or unit to see it converted.
If Live Text isn't working
- Check the Live Text switch in Language & Region settings.
- Zoom in on small or blurry text before selecting it.
- Handwriting and stylized fonts are hit and miss. Try a sharper photo.
- Older iPhones (before the XS) don't support it.
Turn screenshots into searchable notes
Most screenshots exist to keep a bit of text. Copy that text out, paste it into Snugit as a note, and delete the screenshot. Your camera roll stays for real photos, and the note is findable by any word in it.
Pull text out of many photos at once
Live Text works one image at a time, but Shortcuts can do a batch:
- In Shortcuts, create a shortcut with Select Photos (turn on Select Multiple).
- Add Extract Text from Image.
- Add Append to Note and pick a note.
Run it, pick a stack of screenshots, and all their text lands in one searchable note.
Live Text or a document scan?
Use Live Text when you need a few lines from a photo. Use the document scanner in Notes or Files when you want a clean copy of a whole page as a PDF. How to scan a document on iPhone.
Common questions
Does Live Text work offline?
Yes. Text recognition happens on your iPhone, so it works without an internet connection. Translation of the copied text may need a connection unless you have downloaded the language.
Can Live Text read handwriting?
Sometimes. Neat handwriting in a supported language is often recognized, but messy or stylized writing is hit and miss. A sharp, well-lit photo helps.
Can I copy text from a PDF or a scanned document?
Yes. Text in PDFs can usually be selected directly. For scans that are just images, Live Text works the same way: touch and hold the words to select them.
How do I copy text from a screenshot of a chat?
Open the screenshot in Photos, touch and hold the first word of the message, drag the handles to the end, and tap Copy. Tapping the Live Text button first makes it easier to select long passages.
Is Live Text private?
Yes. Recognition runs on the device, and Apple does not need to upload your photos to read the text.
Get Snugit and keep the text you copy from photos where you can search it.