Definition & Core Concept
OCR converts visible text in an image into machine-readable characters. That text can then be searched, translated, classified or used to identify entities and likely source pages.
Text can be the strongest clue
A screenshot may be visually generic but contain a unique headline. A product photo can contain a model number. A street scene can contain a business name. OCR turns those clues into conventional search queries.
OCR plus visual search
The most useful systems do not choose between OCR and image retrieval. They combine the extracted text with visual features and page context.
Limitations
Stylized fonts, curved labels, motion blur, low resolution and mixed scripts can reduce OCR accuracy. Strong workflows preserve confidence scores and verify extracted text.
This analysis is part of the central field guide; you can part of the foundational nine image search techniques cataloged in our guide.
This technical description reflects observed performance across our controlled 2026 image test suites and peer-reviewed computer vision literature. Last reviewed: September 2026.