How to Extract Text From a Video on Windows

Updated October 16, 2026 · By A17Lab

Windows users have decent OCR for the screen — PowerToys Text Extractor and the Snipping Tool's text actions can grab whatever is currently visible. But a video isn't one screen: the text you need is spread across hundreds of frames, and capturing region by region while scrubbing a timeline gets old fast. Here's how to extract text from a video on Windows in one scan.

Why screen-capture OCR doesn't fit videos

• One region, one moment. Snipping-style tools read what's on screen right now — you pause, snip, repeat for every caption.
• Easy to miss text. Overlays that flash for a second between your pauses simply never get captured.
• No batch, no export. Results land in your clipboard one fragment at a time.

The one-scan workflow: Image to Text for Windows

1. Install Image to Text - Extract from Photo & Video from the Microsoft Store — the Windows edition of Extract Text From Video.
2. Add your files. MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV videos or JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC images — and unlike snipping tools, it supports batch processing, so a folder of lecture recordings or screenshots goes through in one job.
3. Detect Text. The AI OCR engine reads every frame locally on your PC. Nothing is uploaded, which matters for work recordings, internal tools, and anything under NDA.
4. Copy All or export. Every detected line is listed and ready to copy or export.

Typical Windows jobs

• Recorded Teams/Zoom meetings — slides and shared screens into searchable notes (screen recording guide)
• Training videos — commands and settings copied exactly (YouTube guide)
• Burned-in subtitles — exported to text (subtitle guide)
• Scanned documents and photos — batch OCR into text files

Working across devices? The same OCR ships on Mac, iPhone, and as a Chrome extension.