Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

BC Clipboard OCR is a free online tool that allows you to extract text from images — screenshots, photos, scanned documents or clipboard content. Beyond basic text extraction, it includes built-in tools for word search, multiple search, date and amount format conversion, a conversion factor for currencies and units, and all-caps conversion. It works on any device and can be installed as a Progressive Web App (PWA — download it directly to your phone, tablet or computer for quick access without opening a browser).

Load your image using one of four methods: click Upload file to select an image from your device, click Paste from clipboard (or press Ctrl+V) to paste a copied image, drag and drop an image file onto the panel, or tap Camera on mobile to capture text directly. Once the image is loaded, click Extract text & conversions and the extracted text will appear in the panel below.

Yes. The “Paste from clipboard” button and Ctrl+V detect both images and plain text automatically. If you paste plain text, it appears directly in the results area with all conversions applied — date format, amount format, conversion factor and search — without needing an image or running OCR.

BC Clipboard OCR supports JPG, PNG and WEBP image formats. You can load images via file upload, clipboard paste, drag and drop, or directly from your device camera on mobile.

Yes. BC Clipboard OCR is fully responsive and works on any mobile device. On mobile, a Camera button appears so you can capture text directly without saving the photo first. You can also download it as a Progressive Web App (PWA — download it directly to your phone, tablet or computer for quick access without opening a browser) — it will appear on your home screen and launch directly like a native app.

Yes, BC Clipboard OCR is free to use. The tool is supported by Google AdSense advertising. There are no registration requirements, no usage limits for normal use, and no hidden costs.

No. We do not store any images or extracted text on our servers. In standard mode, if the initial extraction result is unsatisfactory, the image may be sent to the Anthropic AI for a more accurate second pass — in that case, Anthropic's privacy parameters apply. In Confidential mode, all processing is 100% local on your device; however, the overall level of confidentiality also depends on your clipboard, browser and device storage settings.

When you extract text from an uploaded file, clipboard paste or drag-and-drop image, the tool first processes it locally using Tesseract.js — an open-source OCR engine that runs entirely in your browser, so no image data leaves your device at this stage. When you are not satisfied with the initial extraction result, an Improve text extraction button appears below the result; clicking it sends the image to the Anthropic AI for a second, more accurate pass. If the local extraction fails or the confidence is too low, this second pass triggers automatically. If you are working with sensitive documents, remember to switch to Confidential mode (clipboardocr.com/confidential), where all processing stays on your device at all times.

The conversion factor multiplies all numeric values found in the extracted text by a number you specify. For example, entering 1.18 will convert amounts from euros to dollars (at that rate). It works for any numeric conversion: currencies, weights (kg/lb 2.205), distances (km/mi 1.609) or any other unit. The value is saved automatically for your next session. Note that it does not connect to live exchange rate data — you enter the rate manually.

Use the Conversion factor field — enter a numeric multiplier (e.g. 1.18 for EUR to USD) before clicking Extract text & conversions. All numeric values found in the image will be multiplied by that factor automatically. It works for any unit: currencies, weights (kg to lb: 2.205), distances (km to mi: 1.609) or any other numeric conversion.

Use the Conversion factor field and enter the multiplier for the unit you need (e.g. 2.205 for kg to lb, 1.609 for km to mi, 0.621 for km to miles). Click Extract text & conversions and all numeric values in the image are multiplied automatically. It works for weight, distance, volume or any other unit.

Use the Amount format dropdown to reformat all numeric values to your preferred style: dot as thousands separator and comma as decimal (European: 1.234,56), comma as thousands and dot as decimal (US: 1,234.56), or without thousands separator. You can also control the position of the minus sign for negative numbers — before or after the amount — using the Minus dropdown. Both options apply automatically when you click Extract text & conversions.

Multiple Search lets you find several terms at once within the extracted text. Enable the Multiple search toggle, enter your terms separated by commas (e.g. gluten, lactose, nuts) and click Extract text & conversions. Each term is highlighted in a different colour, and the status bar shows how many times each term appears.

Confidential mode (available at clipboardocr.com/confidential) processes your image entirely within your browser using Tesseract.js — an open-source OCR engine that runs locally on your device. No image data is sent to any external server or API. All conversion tools (dates, amounts, conversion factor, search, all-caps) work exactly the same as in the standard version. This mode is ideal for sensitive documents such as contracts, invoices, medical records or any content subject to corporate confidentiality policies. For technical documentation to facilitate corporate evaluation, see How Confidential mode works.

Yes — BC Clipboard OCR offers a Confidential mode where all text extraction runs locally in your browser using Tesseract.js. No image data is sent to any external server or API at any point. It is free, requires no registration, and works on any device.

Clipboard OCR Perseus (available at clipboardocr.com/perseus) is a lightweight version of BC Clipboard OCR designed for fast, personal use. It uses the same Tesseract + AI pipeline as the full version — local OCR first, with an optional AI improvement step — and now also includes automatic date and amount format conversion, plus a dedicated Table mode that extracts tables into an editable grid you can export as CSV. It includes word search and multiple search with colour highlighting. Perseus is designed with larger text and a simpler layout, making it ideal for mobile use, accessibility and low-light conditions. It is also installable as a PWA app directly from your browser.

Yes — Perseus includes a dedicated Table mode: it reads rows and columns from a photo or screenshot using AI and turns them into an editable grid. Edit any cell directly, then copy the table in a format that pastes cleanly into Excel or Google Sheets, or download it as a CSV file. Table mode always uses AI to understand the table's structure, since local OCR alone can't reconstruct rows and columns — so the image is sent to Anthropic's API each time, the same as Perseus's optional AI improvement step.

Yes. In the options panel you can pick the date format (like DD/MM/YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD) or the number format (thousands/decimal separator and where the minus sign goes) you need — only one of the two at a time, since converting both over the same text could make one mistake the other's result for its own data. Whichever you choose is applied automatically, once, the moment the text is extracted — there's no button to reapply it afterwards. This changes how dates and numbers are written, it doesn't convert currencies; for a real exchange-rate conversion use Croesus Rates.

Yes. Clipboard OCR Croesus Rates (clipboardocr.com/croesusrates) is a free tool integrated in BC Clipboard OCR specifically designed for converting currency values found in images. It uses the European Central Bank's daily reference rate. Choose between replacing the original value or adding the conversion in brackets next to it, or convert a single value directly without extracting anything from an image. It also includes a full exchange rate lookup table, an exchange rate difference calculator between two dates, and a historical rate export covering up to five years.

Yes. Clipboard OCR Konvorcet (clipboardocr.com/konvorcet) is a free tool integrated in BC Clipboard OCR specifically designed for converting distance, area, weight, volume and temperature values found in images. All categories use fixed factors based on NIST and BIPM standards. Choose between replacing the original value or adding the conversion in brackets next to it, or convert a single value directly without extracting anything from an image. It also includes a free any-to-any unit converter, a price-per-unit calculator, and a comparator for up to four products or measurements at once.

Yes. Milcheaufsnutgluten is a free tool in BC Clipboard OCR specifically designed to detect allergens and intolerances on product labels. It detects 19 groups including the 14 mandatory under EU Regulation 1169/2011, highlighting each in its own colour. It includes an allergen repository organised by category — you can select and deselect which allergens the tool should look for in each scan. Supports photo, pasted image, EAN/UPC barcode. Exports via WhatsApp, email or PNG image. Available in 6 languages.

OCR sometimes confuses similar-looking characters inside a number — an O for a 0, an I or l for a 1, an S for a 5. In Croesus Rates, Konvorcet and Milcheaufsnutgluten, whenever a number sits right next to a currency symbol or a recognised unit (€, R$, kg, ml, mg...), it is automatically checked for this kind of confusion and corrected — for example €1O0,5O becomes €100,50. Plain text with no currency or unit symbol nearby is left untouched, so ordinary words are never affected.