Finally, Microsoft overtakes Apple with the integration of OCR into the Windows Photos app – a major leap forward in accessibility
Microsoft is adding Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to the Windows Photos app, allowing users to scan and copy text directly from images. This feature will be available on Windows 11 and Windows 10 when it is officially released.
On October 22, 2024 Microsoft has announced upcoming updates to the Photos app, some of which are already available in preview for Windows Insiders via the Windows 11 Insider Channel. This will allow Insiders to test the new features and provide feedback before they are fully rolled out.
For Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft also plans to introduce “super resolution” to improve the Photos app. These updates aim to improve the overall user experience by using AI to enhance and enlarge images up to 8x their original size via the super resolution feature.
How does OCR work?
OCR essentially allows users to extract text from images effortlessly. Whether you’re dealing with notes, images, documents, or screenshots, the app can automatically detect text and copy it straight to your clipboard. This streamlines your workflow by allowing you to paste the extracted text into other apps, reducing the need for manual data entry.
Using the OCR feature is quite simple: just tap the icon under an image to extract text. Microsoft designed the tool to make tasks such as managing information in images easier and improve productivity. It is especially valuable for accessibility, as it allows users with visual impairments or similar disabilities to have text read aloud or converted into screen reader-compatible formats.
The OCR feature can also benefit professionals, students and researchers by allowing them to copy and paste text from images into emails or documents, streamlining their work. Moreover, it supports more than 160 languages.
Despite Windows 10 reaching End-of-Life Support on October 14, 2025, Microsoft will roll out these features to both Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs. Microsoft is required to provide Windows 10 updates until support officially ends and the operating system still has a significant user base due to hardware limitations, business needs, and personal preferences. As users eventually move to Windows 11, they will already be familiar with many of the new features.
More improvements are coming for Windows users
Additional updates are also coming, such as bug fixes for the Restyle image features on Copilot+ and Image Creator, designed to improve overall image quality. If users want these new features, they will need to update their Photos app to version 2024.11100.17007 or later via the Microsoft Store.
These features are not yet fully available, but insiders are encouraged to send feedback to Microsoft. Their feedback can help resolve any issues and refine the features before full rollout. For example, it was thanks to user feedback that Microsoft announced that it is also introducing one-click support in the Photos app gallery, allowing for more efficient navigation.
While it’s great that Microsoft has introduced OCR to its Photos app, this is long overdue. Accessibility should be at the forefront of any modern app, especially considering that leading tech companies like Apple integrated similar features like Live Text in iOS 15 quite some time ago. Features like these, along with other accessibility tools, should be standard across all platforms, not only to improve overall productivity, but more importantly to support users with disabilities.
Hopefully this is a sign that Microsoft will make more of an effort to prioritize accessibility in the future, with more tools and updates designed with inclusivity in mind.