Microsoft Photos’ Hidden OCR Feature Lets You Extract Text from Images

How to Enable Hidden OCR in Microsoft Photos

Microsoft Photos now secretly supports Optical Character Recognition (OCR), though the feature has been hidden from regular users. By making a simple change in the Windows Registry, you can unlock this functionality, allowing you to extract text from images and save it into editable files.

To enable OCR in Microsoft Photos, here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Registry Editor: Search for it in the Start menu and launch it.
2. Load the Hive: Click File > Load Hive in the Registry Editor.
3. Find the Settings File: Navigate to %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_8wekyb3d8bbwe\Settings\.
4. Select the File: Choose settings.dat and name the key Photos when prompted.
5. Create a Registry File: Use Notepad or another text editor to create a new .reg file and paste the following code:
   scss

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Photos\LocalState]
"ExperimentationOverrideEnabled"=hex(5f5e10b):01,41,3f,99,74,67,16,db,01
"ExperimentationOverride_ViewerOcr-IsEnabled"=hex(5f5e10b):01,9d,e2,9a,ee,81,3b,db,01

6. Import the Registry File: Double-click the file to apply the changes.
7. Unload the Hive: In Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, select Photos, and choose File > Unload Hive.

After performing these steps, you’ll see a new OCR icon in Microsoft Photos that allows you to extract text from images. Keep in mind that this feature may be officially rolled out in future updates, so if you’re hesitant to make these changes, you can always wait for a more user-friendly implementation.