Whether you need to extract notes from a whiteboard photo, copy a tracking number from a physical receipt, translate a foreign restaurant menu, or grab a web address shown in a lecture video, Live Text on iPad turns images and video frames into selectable, interactive text. Powered by Apple Neural Engine machine learning, Live Text runs entirely on-device, ensuring rapid recognition without transmitting your personal media to cloud servers.
Supported iPad Models and System Requirements
Live Text is built natively into iPadOS (iPadOS 15, 16, 17, and 18). It requires an iPad equipped with the A12 Bionic chip or newer, including:
- iPad (8th generation and later)
- iPad mini (5th generation and later)
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (all generations) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later)
How to Enable Live Text in iPadOS Settings
While Live Text is typically turned on by default, verify that the master toggle is engaged before using it:
- Open the Settings app on your iPad.
- Tap General in the left navigation sidebar.
- Tap Language & Region.
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen and ensure the toggle switch for Live Text is turned On (green).
How to Copy Text from Photos and Screenshots
Interacting with text inside saved pictures in your photo library requires only a simple tap or gesture:
- Open the Photos app on your iPad and select any picture, screenshot, or scanned document containing text.
- Look for the Live Text badge (resembling lines of text surrounded by a viewfinder square) in the bottom-right corner of the image.
- Tap the Live Text badge. iPadOS will highlight every recognised word across the image.
- Alternatively, simply touch and hold directly on any word on the photo just as you would on a normal webpage.
- Drag the selection grab handles to encompass the entire phrase, sentence, or paragraph you wish to copy.
- Tap Copy from the pop-up menu. You can now switch to Notes, Mail, Pages, or Messages and paste (Command + V) the text directly.
How to Use Live Text in Real Time Using the Camera App
You do not need to take a photograph first to grab text from real-world objects:
- Open the Camera app on your iPad.
- Point the camera lens at a document, book, business card, or package label.
- A yellow bracket will frame the detected text, and the Live Text button will appear in the bottom-right corner of the viewfinder.
- Tap the Live Text button. The camera feed will pause, allowing you to select, copy, or look up the text without saving a photo to your camera roll.
How to Copy Text from Paused Videos
Starting in iPadOS 16, Live Text extends directly into video playback across Safari, the Photos app, and supported media players:
- Play any video containing on-screen code, presentation slides, or subtitles.
- Pause the video at the exact frame where the text is clearly legible.
- Tap the Live Text icon in the lower corner of the playback controls (or long-press the text directly on the paused frame).
- Select your desired words and choose Copy, Translate, or Share.
Smart Interactive Actions in Live Text
Live Text identifies specific data formats and provides instant context-aware actions:
- Phone Numbers: Tap a highlighted phone number to place a call via FaceTime or add it to Contacts.
- Email Addresses: Tapping an email address launches a new draft in Mail.
- Web Links: Tapping an address opens the page immediately in Safari.
- Foreign Currencies: Highlighting an amount displays an instant conversion into your local currency.
- Languages: Tap Translate to convert foreign text into English or your native language on the spot.
Utilising Live Text transforms your iPad into an efficient visual scanner, eliminating manual typing and making information capture across textbooks, whiteboards, and presentations instantaneous.