# OCR on Image Clips

This page describes how to run optical character recognition (OCR) on an existing image clip to quickly extract the text embedded in it.

## Steps

:::steps
:::step{title="Find the image card in history"}

Open Octoclip's main screen and locate the target image clip card in your clipboard history.

:::
:::step{title="Open context menu and select OCR"}

Right-click the image card (or long-press on mobile devices) and select **Extract Text (OCR)** from the context menu.

:::
:::step{title="Wait for local recognition"}

**Success sign:** An OCR preview panel pops up, displaying the recognized text lines in a highlighted, selectable format.

> [!NOTE] Secure On-Device Parsing
> Text recognition (OCR) is performed entirely on your local device. Your images and extracted text are never uploaded to any external cloud server, keeping your data private.
:::
:::

## Still Stuck

If the OCR option does not show up in the context menu, confirm that:
1. The copied item is indeed a valid image file.
2. Your current platform and application version support this feature.
3. You have granted the necessary screen or photo library permissions in your system settings (see [macOS Permissions](/advanced/macos/permissions)).

## Next

To learn how to copy, search, or save the recognized text as a new clip card, see [Copy and Reuse OCR Results](/features/ocr/reuse-results).