One of Microsoft's most interesting developments right now is PowerToys, the successor to the classic program for Windows 95 and XP, now adapted to Windows 10 and 11. Slowly, its developers have incorporated tools that improve the user experience, and in recent weeks they announced a new feature we can't wait to try on our desktops. It is a character recognition system that works with any element on the screen, whether marking a region, clicking on a word, or selecting an image.
How many times have we tried to get a copy of a text, only to discover that it is an integral part of an image? Think of all those poorly scanned documents that don't allow us to select text... simply because the text "is a photo". Over time we have discovered tools that allow us to copy text from an image, and even translate its content, but at the end of the day they are not comfortable, to say the least. Fortunately, there is something on the horizon that could change everything: PowerOCR.
PowerOCR: OCR Magic Extended to Images and Desktops
PowerOCR is a project associated with PowerToys, the Microsoft tool package compatible with Windows 10 and 11. The original announcement on GitHub dates back to last July 4, and it leaves no doubt: OCR anywhere on the screen, selecting a region, a word, or an image. The first demo (that is, the animated GIF we share here) is less than 48 hours old, but on the GitHub profile we don't find any updated build. In other words, we must wait.
Another good news is that PowerOCR will not be alone. The PowerToys team also confirmed the development of a "measurement tool", or rather, a smart ruler capable of detecting edges, buttons, and other interface elements. If you want to install PowerToys now, you can download the .exe directly or use the Windows Store, but updated versions arrive much faster on GitHub.
Official site and download: Click here
