I stopped hoarding screenshots after discovering this Google Keep trick
Android Police 2026-06-25 12:00:12
Context: The author, Anu Joy, a technology writer for Android Police, discovered a feature in Google Keep that uses optical character recognition (OCR) to extract text from screenshots and photos, solving their problem of hoarding screenshots. This feature, called "Grab image text," allows users to easily extract and reuse text from images. The author found this feature to be a game-changer in managing information on their phone.
Key Facts
- The author, Anu Joy, used to take screenshots of important information such as confirmation numbers, addresses, shopping lists, and snippets from articles, which would pile up in their gallery, making it difficult to find specific information later.
- Google Keep's "Grab image text" feature uses OCR to identify and extract text from screenshots and photos, allowing users to edit, search, and reuse the text.
- To use this feature, users create a note in Google Keep, attach a screenshot or photo, open the image, tap the three-dot menu icon, and select "Grab image text," which automatically extracts the text into the note.
- The author now uses Google Keep to extract text from screenshots and photos, converting them into searchable notes that can be revisited later, reducing clutter in their camera roll and making it easier to manage information.
- The OCR technology in Google Keep is not unique, as Google Lens and other gallery apps offer similar features, but the way Google Keep integrates extracted text into an organized note is what makes it useful for the author.