How to Extract Text From an Image on Your Phone

You need the words, not the picture

A quote in a book. A slide in a meeting. A sign, a menu, a printed report.

So you squint at the photo, type it out line by line, and fix the typos afterwards.

Now picture this instead: snap a photo, and the text is ready to copy. ✅

That's what Scan Image in ScanMint AI is for.

How to extract text from an image with ScanMint AI: step by step

1. Open ScanMint AI and tap "Scan Image"

You'll find Scan Image under Quick Tools on the home screen. Don't have the app yet? Get it free on the App Store or Google Play.

2. Take a photo or choose one from your gallery

Tap Take Photo to capture something new: point your camera at the page, sign or screen, tap the shutter, then tap Use Photo (or Retake). Already have the picture? Tap Choose from Gallery instead.

3. Let the AI read the text

ScanMint AI shows "Reading text… Running on-device text recognition", then confirms "Text extracted from image." It takes just a few seconds.

4. Copy your text

The extracted text appears in the Scan Decoded panel. Tap Copy and paste it anywhere: notes, email, documents or chat.

5. Share it to any app

Tap Share to send the text to WhatsApp, Mail, AirDrop, Gmail, Notes or any app on your phone.

6. Save it as PDF, HTML, Text or Markdown

Tap Save and choose a format:

• PDF Document (.pdf): sharing and printing

• HTML Page (.html): opening in any browser

• Text File (.txt): editing and importing anywhere

• Markdown (.md): Notion, Obsidian and notes apps

7. Rename it and find it in your History

Every scan is saved as Image Text in your History, with its word count. Tap the title to rename it (for example, "My book quote") so it's easy to find later.

💡 Tips for better text recognition

• Fill the frame with the text, and keep the phone parallel to the page.

• Use good, even light, and avoid glare on glossy pages or screens.

• Hold steady so the photo is sharp, not blurry.

• For long documents, scan one page at a time.

Scan Image vs Live Text and Google Lens

Your phone may already pick out text in photos: Live Text on iPhone and Google Lens on Android. They're great for grabbing a phone number or a single line. Scan Image is built for when you want to keep, organise and reuse the text.

Here's how they compare:

• Copy text from a photo: both do this.

• Keep every scan with its word count: built into Scan Image's History; not built into Live Text or Lens.

• Save as PDF, HTML, TXT or Markdown: Scan Image only.

• Rename scans to find them later: Scan Image only.

• Same app on iPhone and Android: Scan Image works on both; Live Text and Lens are one platform each.

What people scan with Scan Image

• Students: quotes and paragraphs from books, whiteboards and slides

• Office work: printed reports, letters and meeting slides

• Travel: signs, menus and tickets

• Everyday: recipes, labels, business cards and screenshots

Why use ScanMint AI to turn images into text?

• Fast: text in seconds, with no retyping

• On-device AI: text recognition runs on your phone

• Camera or gallery: use a new photo or one you already have

• Ready to use: copy, share or save in one tap

• Four formats: PDF, HTML, TXT or Markdown

• Organised: rename scans and find them in your History

• One app for more: ScanMint AI also scans documents to PDF, scans and creates barcodes and QR codes, and much more

Frequently asked questions

How do I copy text from a picture on my phone?

Open ScanMint AI, tap Scan Image, then take or choose a photo. The text is extracted in seconds. Tap Copy to paste it anywhere.

Is ScanMint AI free?

Yes. ScanMint AI is free to download on the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android.

Does ScanMint AI read the text on my device?

Yes. The app shows "Running on-device text recognition" while it reads your photo.

Can I extract text from a photo I already took?

Yes. Tap Choose from Gallery and pick any existing picture, including screenshots.

Can I save the extracted text as a file?

Yes. Tap Save and choose PDF, HTML, Text (.txt) or Markdown (.md).

Can I rename my scans?

Yes. Open a scan from your History and tap its title to rename it.

Can't I just use Live Text or Google Lens?

For a quick copy, yes. Use Scan Image when you want to save the text, export it as a file, rename it, or find it again later in your History.

What's the difference between Scan Image and Scan Documents?

Scan Image pulls the text out of a photo so you can copy and edit it. Scan Documents turns paper pages into a clean PDF. See our scanning guides.

Stop retyping. Start scanning.

Book page, slide or sign: the next words you need are one photo away.

📲 Download ScanMint AI free

• Download on the App Store

• Get it on Google Play

📚 More guides on the ScanMint AI blog · Visit scanmintai.com