How to Convert PNG to Words or Editable Text – Best Free PNG to Text Converters in 2025

Have you ever taken a screenshot or saved a PNG file, only to realize later that you can’t copy the text from it? Whether it’s a lecture slide, a scanned receipt, or a meme with a great quote, it’s frustrating to have text stuck in an image. Luckily, with modern tools, it’s easier than ever to convert PNG into text, completely for free.

In this detailed guide, you’ll learn how to convert PNG files to text using the best PNG-to-text converter tools, both online and offline. Whether you’re looking to extract a few words from a screenshot or digitize an entire document, we’ll cover the smartest and fastest ways to do it in 2025.

What Is OCR and How Does It Turn PNG Files into Words?

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a game-changing technology that can convert PNG files to editable, searchable text by recognizing letters, numbers, and symbols in an image file and transforming them into text.

Instead of retyping, you can simply upload your image to an OCR tool and have the PNG converted to TXT, DOC, or PDF formats in seconds.

Key benefits of PNG to TXT conversion:

• ⏱️ Saves time from manual typing
• 🧾 Great for digitizing receipts and documents
• 📚 Helpful for students, researchers, and businesses
• 🌐 Useful for translating foreign-language signage or text

Quick Comparison Table: Best Free PNG to Text Converters (2025 Edition)

Method 1: Use OnlineOCR.net – A Simple PNG to Text Converter Free

Keyword Target: convert PNG file to text, PNG to text converter free

OnlineOCR.net is one of the quickest and easiest ways to extract text from an image without installing any software.

Steps to convert PNG to text:

1. Visit OnlineOCR.net
2. Upload your PNG file
3. Choose your language and desired output (TXT, DOC, or Excel)
4. Click “Convert.”
5. Copy or download your text

✅ Why choose it:

• No account needed
• Multi-language support
• Great for clean documents and screenshots

⚠️ Considerations:

• Max file size: 15 MB
• Not ideal for handwritten or low-resolution images

Method 2: Convert PNG to Editable Text Using Google Docs OCR

Keyword Focus: convert PNG to words, PNG into text

Many users don’t realize that Google Drive has a built-in OCR feature. When you upload a PNG or JPEG image and open it in Google Docs, the image is automatically scanned for text.

How to use:

1. Upload your PNG to Google Drive
2. Right-click the file → Open with → Google Docs
3. Google will create a new Doc file with the image and extracted text

🎓 Perfect for:

• Students needing to extract class notes
• Users who already use Google Workspace

This is one of the best free ways to convert PNG to words, especially for casual or infrequent use.

Method 3: OCR.Space – Advanced PNG to Text Converter with API

Keyword Focus: PNG to text converter free, convert PNG file to text

OCR.Space is a powerful web-based tool offering both online OCR and a developer-friendly API for automating tasks.

How to use:

1. Upload or paste image URL
2. Select the language
3. Press “Start OCR”
4. Download or copy the result

Unique benefits:

• Works with handwriting
• Advanced settings for precision
• Great for tech-savvy users and developers

Method 4: Convert PNG to Text on Mobile Using Adobe Scan or Microsoft Lens

Keyword Focus: convert PNG to text app, screenshot to text converter

For those who work or study on the go, mobile apps are a lifesaver. Two of the best apps to convert PNG files to text are:

🔹 Adobe Scan (Android & iOS)

• Automatically recognizes and enhances documents
• Syncs with Adobe Cloud
• Converts to PDF with selectable text

🔹 Microsoft Lens

• Best for whiteboards, documents, and business cards
• Integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office

These apps make it easy to turn PNG into text directly from your phone, and are ideal for business travelers, students, and anyone working outside the office.

Method 5: Tesseract OCR – For Developers Who Want Full Control

Keyword Focus: convert PNG to TXT, open-source OCR

Tesseract is a free, open-source OCR engine maintained by Google and perfect for those comfortable using the command line.

How to convert text from PNG with Tesseract:

1. Install Tesseract on your system
2. Run this command: tesseract image.png output -l eng
3. The output will be saved as a .txt file

Pro Tip: Combine with Python (pytesseract) for automation or batch conversion of hundreds of images.

BONUS: What About the Opposite? Convert Text File to PNG

Yes, it’s possible! If you want to convert a text file to PNG, there are tools like:

• text-image.com
• Microsoft Paint or Photoshop (paste text & export as PNG)
• HTML + CSS for styled image rendering

While this isn’t OCR, it’s useful for creating quote images, code snippets, or visual summaries for social media.

Real-World Use Cases for PNG to Text Conversion

Why do people need to convert PNG into text?

• 👩‍🎓 Students scanning textbooks and class notes
• 👨‍💼 Professionals digitizing paperwork and forms
• 🌍 Translators working with foreign-language documents
• 🧑‍💻 Developers scraping text data from visual inputs
• 📰 Content creators repurposing infographics or meme captions

The ability to convert PNG files to editable formats saves time, boosts productivity, and improves accessibility across various industries.

Pro Tips to Maximize OCR Accuracy

• 📸 Use high-quality images (preferably 300 DPI)
• 🌞 Ensure good lighting and contrast
• ✂️ Crop unnecessary borders and graphics
• 🅰️ Use standard fonts (for better recognition)
• 🌐 Select the correct language for OCR

These small tweaks will improve your results significantly when using any PNG to text converter.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Just Look at Text—Extract It

With today’s free tools, converting a PNG file into text is no longer limited to tech professionals. Whether you use a browser, a mobile app, or a command-line tool, the power to extract information from images is at your fingertips.

So next time you’re stuck with text inside a screenshot or photo, don’t retype—just convert.