How to Enable or Disable Auto-Scan for Text in Photos App Images

How to Enable or Disable Auto-Scan for Text in Photos App Images

This article will guide you on how to activate or deactivate the automatic scanning of images for text in the Photos app on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer. Recently, Microsoft rolled out an update for the Photos app, incorporating Optical Character Recognition (OCR) features across all Windows 10/11 devices, enabling users to retrieve text from images directly within the application.

Enable or Disable auto-scan images for text in Photos app

The introduction of OCR significantly enhances the Photos app’s usability for various applications, whether personal or professional. The functionality is governed by a specific setting termed ‘Automatically scan images for text,’ which users can toggle on or off according to their needs. When this option is activated, the app will automatically identify and extract text from images, including documents, handwritten notes, or other visual content, eliminating the need for additional external tools.

How to Enable or Disable Auto-Scan Images for Text in the Photos App

In the following segments, we will walk you through the steps to turn on or off the ‘auto-scan images for text’ feature in Microsoft Photos. However, note that this update is currently available only for Windows Insiders and will soon be accessible to all users. Therefore, ensure your Photos app is updated before proceeding.

Activating Auto-Scan Images for Text in the Photos App

By default, the OCR function is enabled in the Microsoft Photos app. This implies that while viewing an image, the app will effortlessly detect any text present, making it available for copying without requiring any further actions on your part.

Automatically scan images for text

To verify this functionality, open an image containing text. Give the app a moment to see if it automatically recognizes the text. Look for the OCR icon displayed at the image’s bottom. If the text is successfully detected, you will be able to highlight and copy it.

To copy the entire detected text to your clipboard, simply click on the Copy all text option located at the bottom.

Copy all text photos app

If you want to copy a specific segment of the recognized text, select that portion by clicking and dragging over it. Then, right-click and choose the Copy text option.

Copy text in photos app

You can now use ‘Ctrl + V’ or right-click and select Paste to insert the copied text into any application, such as Word, Notepad, etc.

Disabling Auto-Scan Images for Text in the Photos App

If you prefer not to have the application frequently search for text in every image, you can disable the ‘Automatically scan images for text’ feature.

Begin by clicking on the Start menu and searching for ‘Photos‘ to launch the app. Once inside the Photos app, click the Settings (gear) icon located in the top right corner.

Settings icon Photos app

In the Settings menu, locate the ‘Automatically scan images for text‘ option found under the Personalization section. To disable the OCR function, toggle the switch next to this option to the Off position.

Automatically scan images for text - disabled

If you wish to reactivate the feature later, simply follow the same steps and toggle the setting back to ‘On’.

How to Scan an Image for Text?

The Microsoft Photos app allows you to scan any image for text. Just open the app, choose the image you want to analyze, and allow the app a moment to automatically identify the text. Once detected, you can easily select and copy the text directly within the app.

Are There Apps for Scanning Images to Text?

Indeed, multiple online and offline applications are available for converting images to text on Windows PCs. The Microsoft Photos app itself features an OCR capability that enables text extraction from images. Additionally, Microsoft OneNote offers built-in OCR functions for images integrated into notes. Other free alternatives such as Capture2Text can also be installed on Windows systems for prompt image-to-text conversions.

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