Can't copy text?
It may be an image.
We often get messages that Allow Copy + stopped working. Most of the time it works fine: the text people try to copy is part of an image or is drawn on a canvas. Here's how to tell, and how to copy text from an image anyway.
Why you can't copy text from an image
It looks like text, but it's pixels
Screenshots, scans, memes, infographics and some online readers show text as a picture. There are no letters to select.
Unlocking can't help here
Allow Copy + removes copy protection from real text. To copy text from an image, it has to be recognized first.
How to tell that text is an image
It's not always obvious, so we added a hint: hover over a picture or a canvas and a small panel shows up over it. If you see it, you're over an image, not text. The hint is free.
Don't need it? Click the gear on the panel and turn off “Show detection text from image overlay”.
Copy text from image in one click
Need the text anyway? Grab Text recognizes it right on the page, no screenshots and no other apps. It runs on one of the most accurate cloud text recognition engines out there.
Hover the image
A small panel appears over pictures and canvases.
Click “Grab Text”
The text is recognized and laid right over the picture.
Copy it
Select the part you need, or copy all of it with one click.
Why text recognition is paid
5 free tries to see that it works. Every recognition costs us real money (it runs on a paid cloud service), so we can't make it free — get a pack for as many as you need.
Uses for 30 Days
One-time payment. No automatic renewals.
Uses for 30 Days
One-time payment. No automatic renewals.
Uses for 30 Days
One-time payment. No automatic renewals.
Uses for 30 Days
One-time payment. No automatic renewals.
*Copy unlocking in Allow Copy + stays 100% free. A pack is only for recognizing text in images.
FAQ
›Why can't I copy text from a website?
If the site blocks copying, Allow Copy + unlocks it in one click. If the text still can't be selected, it's most likely not text at all, but part of an image or drawn on a canvas. Then it has to be recognized, not unlocked.
›How do I know if the text is an image?
Try to select one word: if nothing gets selected or the whole block turns blue, it's a picture. With Allow Copy + you don't have to guess: hover over it, and a hint panel appears over images and canvases.
›How do I copy text from an image in Chrome?
Install Allow Copy +, hover over the image and click “Grab Text” on the panel. The recognized text appears right over the picture: select the part you need or copy all of it with one click.
›Can I copy text from a canvas?
Yes, in most cases. Charts, online readers, games and web apps that draw text on a canvas are handled the same way as pictures.
›Which languages does it recognize?
Recognition detects the language by itself: Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic and many other scripts.
›Do you save my images?
No. The picture is sent for recognition, to our server and a cloud text recognition service, only when you click “Grab Text”, and only the recognized text comes back. We don't store your images or the text.
›Is it free?
The hint over images is free, and so is copy unlocking in Allow Copy +. Recognition gives you 5 free tries to see that it works. Every recognition costs us real money, so after that there are packs from 100 to 1000 images for 30 days: a one-time payment, no subscription.
›How do I turn off the hint over images?
Click the gear on the panel to open the extension settings and turn off “Show detection text from image overlay”.
Copy text from anywhere
Protected pages, images and canvases: Allow Copy + handles them all. It also comes with Force Paste and Ask AI. New here? See how to use it.
Add to Chrome, it's free
