Ever wanted to grab text directly from an image? That’s where Optical Character Recognition (OCR) comes in handy! It’s basically like magic for computers, allowing them to read text in pictures. While Windows has OCR in apps like Phone Link and Snipping Tool, did you know the Photos app also has a hidden OCR feature? Let’s get it working!
This feature isn’t enabled by default, and you’ll have to make some tweaks to the Registry. Keep in mind, it might not work for everyone, but it’s worth a shot.
Method 1: Using a Registry File
- Open the Start menu, type
regeditand click on ‘Run as administrator’.
- When the Registry Editor pops up, select ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE’ or ‘HKEY_USERS’. Then, head to the ‘File’ menu and click on ‘Load Hive’.
- In the window that appears, paste this address into the address bar:
%localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_8wekyb3d8bbwe\Settings\settings.dat.
- Click on the
.datfile to select it, then click ‘Open’.
- In the ‘Key Name’ pop-up window, type ‘Photos’ and press Enter.
- Open Notepad and paste in this code block:
```
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Photos\LocalState]
"ExperimentationOverrideEnabled"=hex(5f5e10b):01,41,3f,99,74,67,16,db,01
"ExperimentationOverride_ViewerOcr-IsEnabled"=hex(5f5e10b):01,9d,e2,9a,ee,81,3b,db,01
```
- Save this Notepad file with a
.regextension. This will allow you to import it directly into the Registry Editor.
- Back in Registry Editor, click on the ‘File’ menu then click on ‘Import’.
- Find the .reg file you saved (it’s likely in your Documents folder,
C/Users/Username/Documents) and select it. You can also just double-click the file to import it.
- Go back to the Registry Editor, click the ‘Photos’ key on the left, then under ‘File’ click ‘Unload Hive’, just like you loaded it earlier.
- If all goes well, the OCR feature should now be enabled in your Photos app!
The Photos app finally has OCR text detection in images. I love quality of life additions like these. pic.twitter.com/L75Lmtt1lw
— phantomofearth ⛄ (@phantomofearth) October 22, 2024
Things to know
- If OCR doesn’t work, make sure the Photos app is fully closed.
- The OCR in the Photos app isn’t just for text, it can even detect icons and similar elements.
- The quality of the image affects the results; higher-res images work best.
- Clear text on a non-cluttered background makes it easier for Windows to detect the text.