How do I get the text out of a PNG screenshot?

Upload the .png file here. OCR extracts the text automatically, and you can copy it or listen to it read aloud with AI narration.

Is OCR more accurate on PNG than on JPG?

Usually yes. PNG is lossless, so letter edges stay crisp instead of being softened by compression artefacts. For screenshots and exported slides, PNG is the better source format.

Can I extract text from a screenshot of a document I cannot copy from?

Yes — that is the common case. Screenshots of locked PDFs, apps and video frames all OCR well because the text is rendered digitally rather than photographed.

Does the PNG reader handle transparent backgrounds?

Yes. Transparency is flattened to white before OCR, so text on a transparent background is recognised normally rather than disappearing.

Is the PNG reader free to use?

Yes. Reading and listening to PNG files is free, with no account required to start and no watermark on anything. Paid plans — Core at $5/month, Plus at $10/month, Pro at $19/month — raise the upload size limit, unlock all 1200+ AI voices, add MP3 downloads and offline listening, and remove ads.

Does ReadLoudly support PNG as well as other formats?

Yes — PNG is fully supported on this page, and it is one of 24 formats ReadLoudly reads aloud: documents (PDF, DOCX, ODT, RTF), ebooks (EPUB, MOBI, AZW, FB2, CHM, LRF, LIT, PDB, RB), text and web files (TXT, HTML), comics (CBR, CBZ), and images (via OCR) (JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WEBP, TIFF, SVG). Upload a PNG file here and it opens straight away; any other format on that list has its own reader page.

Can I open PNG files on my phone or tablet?

Yes. This reader runs in the mobile browser on iOS and Android — nothing to install — so you can open a PNG file straight from your phone's Files app, an email attachment or a cloud drive. Playback continues in the background, and your position syncs to any other device you sign in on.

What happens to my PNG file after I upload it?

It is processed for OCR and text extraction, then removed. ReadLoudly does not train models on your files, does not share them with third parties, and does not make them visible to anyone else. Signed-in users can choose to keep a PNG file in their own private library instead; a guest upload is discarded when the session ends.

What exactly is a PNG file?

PNG is lossless PNG images, typical for screenshots and exported slides. ReadLoudly opens it directly in the browser, so you do not need the original software that created it.

What if my file is not a PNG?

Every format gets its own reader page rather than being funnelled into one generic uploader, so nothing loses its format-specific handling. Nearest neighbours to PNG among ReadLoudly's images (via OCR): GIF, BMP, WEBP, TIFF. The Tools page lists all of them.