WPS Scan Text on Android lets you extract text from a photo or gallery image and insert it into a document; it includes 2 core tasks, with 0 available without membership and 2 membership-related items.
At a Glance
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core tasks | 2 | Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index |
| Available without membership | 0 | Matches the number of Free rows in the index |
| Membership-related items | 2 | Matches the number of membership-required rows in the index |
About This Feature
Overview
Scan Text is an image-to-text feature in WPS Office for Android documents. It lets you recognize text from paper materials or images and insert the extracted content directly into the current document.
The main tasks available in this feature include:
- Scan text with the camera: take a photo, select the recognition area, and extract text.
- Scan text from a gallery image: choose a local image, select the area, and extract text into the document.
This feature is useful when you need to digitize printed materials, capture paragraphs from images, or turn offline text into editable content quickly. Before extraction, you can adjust the scan area. After insertion, you can continue editing the document right away.
System Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| OS | An Android device that can run WPS Office normally |
| App version | It is recommended to use the latest version of WPS Office |
| Network | For image to text processing, keep a network connection available so the recognition service can work normally |
| Other | Camera or gallery access permissions are required, and you need to sign in with an available account |
Download & Installation
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Official Download | WPS Office Free Download |
| Post-install Check | Launch WPS Office, open a document, then go to Tools > Insert and confirm that Scan Text is available |
Source: WPS Download Center
Compare with Alternatives
| Dimension | WPS | Microsoft | Notion | Adobe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capability Summary | On Android, WPS provides a Scan Text entry inside document editing. You can take a photo or choose a gallery image, select the scan area, extract text, and insert it into the current document. | Microsoft Support explains that scanned text can be brought into Word by using Microsoft Lens to save an editable Word document, or by scanning to PDF first and opening that PDF in Word. The documented flow relies on Lens or PDF import rather than an in-document mobile scan entry. | Google Docs Help states that Google supports OCR for .jpg, .gif, .png, and .pdf files. The documented capability is tied to file handling and conversion workflows rather than a dedicated scan-text entry inside a document editor. | Notion Help documents image uploads, file uploads, and imports for formats such as PDF and Word, but the official help pages do not describe a dedicated OCR tool for extracting text from an image directly into a document on mobile. | Adobe Acrobat Help provides text recognition for scanned documents and focuses on OCR in scanned PDFs and related PDF editing workflows. |
| WPS Advantages | Advantage: You can complete photo capture, text extraction, and insertion within the Android document workflow. Distinct: The same entry supports both the camera and gallery images. | Compared with WPS: the official workflow depends more on Microsoft Lens or PDF conversion before the text reaches Word. | Compared with WPS: the official capability is more file-oriented, with OCR support described through supported file types and conversion paths. | Compared with WPS: the official help emphasizes importing and embedding content, not direct mobile image-to-text insertion into a document. | Compared with WPS: the official workflow centers more on scanned PDFs and PDF OCR than inserting recognized text into a mobile document body. |
| Official Source | — | Insert scanned text or images into Word | Work with Office files | Images, files & media | Recognize text in scanned documents |
Overall Conclusion
If you want a more direct way to scan text on Android and insert it into the document you are editing, WPS keeps that workflow in one place. Other products also support OCR, scanning, or file import, but their official guidance is more focused on PDF workflows, external scanning apps, or general content import.
Use Cases
| # | Scenario | Target Users | Core Pain Point | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entering printed notices | Students, school staff, office staff | Printed content needs to be typed again manually | Use camera-based Scan Text and insert the result into the document |
| 2 | Organizing textbook paragraphs | Learners and study users | Text inside images cannot be copied directly | Use Scan Text from a gallery image to extract editable content |
| 3 | Capturing whiteboard notes | Team members | On-site notes are hard to digitize quickly | Take a photo, select the key area, and start extraction |
| 4 | Archiving screenshot text | Mobile office users | Text in screenshots needs to be moved into a formal document | Import the screenshot from the gallery and insert the extracted text |
| 5 | Drafting from offline materials | Content editors | Manual transcription takes time | Extract the text first, then continue editing in the document |
Membership & Benefits
Free vs WPS Premium
| Feature | Free User | WPS Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Access to Scan Text | Not available without membership | Available |
| Scan text with the camera | Not available | Available |
| Scan text from a gallery image | Not available | Available |
| Other core office features | Some basic features are available | Basic features remain available, with additional advanced features depending on the plan |
Source: WPS Office pricing page
Recommendations
| Use Case | Recommended Plan | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| You only edit documents occasionally and rarely need image to text tools | Free | You can start with basic document features and subscribe only when needed |
| You often turn printed materials or images into editable documents | WPS Premium | Scan Text can reduce repeated manual typing |
| You regularly organize study materials or work materials on mobile | WPS Premium | It is more suitable for repeated photo-based extraction and document insertion |
How to Subscribe
- WPS membership center: Subscribe now
Source: WPS Office pricing page