How to Convert Images to Editable Text in Microsoft Word

Want to extract text from an image in Microsoft Word? Here’s how to convert images into editable text within Word.

If you’ve ever found yourself manually typing out information from images or struggling to make scanned documents into editable text, then this article is for you. We’ll walk you through a step-by-step process of converting any image into editable text right inside Microsoft Word—no additional plug-ins are required. Without further delay, let’s jump into it.

Step 1: Insert Your Image Into Microsoft Word

You can drag and drop your image directly into Microsoft Word or navigate to the Insert tab, click Pictures, and select This Device.

In the file explorer that opens up, select your image from its location on your computer and click Insert.

Step 2: Resize Your Image to Fit the Page’s Width

This step is optional, but depending on your document, it can significantly improve the quality of your final editable text.

First, you may want to crop your image to remove any unwanted elements and ensure that only the relevant content remains. So right-click on your image, and select Crop.

Adjust the crop region to only include the main content of your image (as shown in the image below). Click outside the crop area to save the new changes.

With your image selected, click the Layout Options button and select the In Front of Text option. This allows you to freely move your image around in the document and adjust its size.

Adjust your image to fit the page’s width, as shown in the image below.

Step 3: Save Your Document as a PDF

To save your document as a PDF, navigate to the File tab. Click Save As and select Browse to choose a location for your document.

Choose a location for your document, enter a suitable file name, ensure PDF is selected as the file type, and click Save when you’re done.

Step 4: Open Your PDF Document in Microsoft Word

If you open a PDF file in Microsoft Word, it automatically gets converted to editable text. So since you’ve saved your image as PDF, you now have to open it in Word.

Navigate to the File tab, click Open in the left navigation pane, and select Browse.

Select your PDF file from its location and click Open.

In the dialog box that appears, click OK.

Microsoft Word’s PDF conversion is highly accurate, minimizing the need for extensive edits. In most cases, you’ll only need to make minor adjustments, if any at all. Most of the work you’ll do is formatting the document to suit your specific needs or making it look professional by applying simple design rules.

Convert Your Images to Editable Text in Microsoft Word

Now it’s time to put your newfound skills into action. Take that image you initially planned to type out and let Microsoft Word do the heavy lifting by converting it into editable text. Asides using Microsoft Word, there are other ways to convert images to text using free OCR software apps.