How to Copy & Paste Text from Photos on iPhone & iPad

The Photos app on your iPhone and iPad has a Live Text feature that allows you to copy and paste text from an image, so you can save needed information with a few quick taps! Let's cover how to copy text from a picture in the Photos app.

Jump To: 

Why You’ll Love This Tip

  • Copy and paste text information from photos of printed documents, restaurant menus, storefronts, or flyers. 
  • Save the copied text on your iPhone or iPad or send it to someone else. 

How to Copy Text from a Picture on iPhone & iPad

Your Camera and Photos app now have a Live Text function that allow you to select, copy, and paste text from images. For large text, you can sometimes just press and hold to select text to copy and paste, but for smaller or more complex text, you will often need to use the Live Text function. Now, here's how to copy and paste words from a photo with these steps.

  1. Open the Photos app.

  2. Tap to open a photo containing text.

  3. Tap the Live Text icon in the lower-right corner. This will identify all of the text in the image. 
  4. Press and hold on some text, then drag to highlight text in the photo. 
  5. If you want to copy all text in a photo, press and hold on some text and tap Select All. 
  6. When you have the desired text highlighted, tap Copy.
  7. Swipe up to close the Photos app. 
  8. Open the app you'd like to paste the text in. (In this case, the Notes app.)
  9. To paste the text, press and hold and tap Paste. 
  10. Now the copied text will appear in the note, email, or message you've pasted it into!

That's all there is to it! Now you can easily copy and paste text from images to save your favorite recipes, book titles, project notes, and more. The possibilities are endless! Here's how to upload live photos

iPhone Life
Discover your iPhone's hidden features
Get a daily tip (with screenshots and clear instructions) so you can master your iPhone in just one minute a day.
Master your iPhone in one minute a day: Sign up here to get our FREE Tip of the Day delivered right to your inbox.

Topics

Author Details

Ashleigh Page's picture

Author Details

Ashleigh Page

Ashleigh Page is an Associate Editor for iPhone Life. A longtime Apple enthusiast with a Bachelor's in English and Computer Science and three years of experience writing about tech, Ashleigh has written and tested hundreds of articles about devices and features within Apple's ecosystem. She specializes in iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and Mac content and has authored a 60-page in-depth guide about the Apple Maps app. Based in North Carolina, Ashleigh is often crafting whimsical (and sometimes nonsensical) short stories and hiking when she's not working.