How to copy text from a photo on Android

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Google Lens reads the text in a picture: a sign, a letter, a page of a book, a screenshot. You can copy it, translate it or search for it, without typing anything.

Menu names below are from Google Pixel phones on a recent Android version. Samsung, Xiaomi and other brands rename some of them. The pictures are simplified diagrams of the screen, not screenshots.

Step by step

1. Open the photo in Google Photos

   Take a photo of the text first if you do not have one. Hold the phone straight above the page and make sure the writing is sharp.

   Done

2. Open Google Lens

   Tap More, the three dots at the top, and tap Google Lens. On many phones there is also a Lens button directly below the photo.

   Done

3. Select the text

   Tap a word, then drag the two handles to mark everything you want.

   Done

4. Tap Copy

   A small menu appears above the selection. Copy puts the text on the clipboard.

   Done

5. Paste it

   Open the app where you need the text, touch and hold in the text field and tap Paste.

   Done

6. Translate instead

   In Lens, tap Translate. Google says Lens can translate text into all the languages of Google Translate. The translation is shown on top of the picture.

   Done

Good to know

Lens also works without a saved photo: open the Google app, tap the camera icon in the search bar and point the phone at the text.

Check numbers and names after copying. Handwriting, unusual fonts and poor light lead to mistakes.

To turn a photographed page into a proper document, see how to scan a document with an Android phone, or make a PDF from the picture with our JPG to PDF tool.

In short: Google Photos, open the photo, three dots, Google Lens, select the words, Copy.