abc OCR · Guides

How to copy text from an Instagram post on Android

Instagram doesn't let you select the text in most posts, comments or stories. A screenshot gets around that: abc OCR reads the text in the screenshot and gives it back to you as text you can copy.

Updated 12 November 2026 · 1 min read

1. Take a screenshot

Open the post and tap more under the caption, so the whole text is on screen. Then press the power and volume-down buttons together.

If the caption is longer than the screen, scroll and take a second screenshot.

2. Send the screenshot to abc OCR

You have two ways:

  • From the screenshot: tap Share in the preview that appears after the screenshot, and pick abc OCR.
  • From the app: open abc OCR and tap the small gallery button next to the yellow camera button. Pick the screenshot.

Don’t use the yellow camera button for screenshots. It opens the document scanner, which looks for a sheet of paper and may crop the image.

3. Leave out what you don’t need

The app marks each block of text it found: the username, the caption, the like count, the buttons. Tap a block to leave it out. Keep only the caption or the comment you want.

4. Copy the text

Tap Copy. Paste the text into a note, a message or a document. Line breaks stay where they were in the post.

You can also tap a link, an email or a phone number in the text to open it right away.

Questions

Does this work for comments and stories?

Yes. Anything you can see on the screen, you can screenshot and read. For a long comment thread, take several screenshots.

Can I copy text from several screenshots at once?

Yes. Pick them all from your gallery and they become one scan with several pages. The free plan includes 3 scans with several pages a week.

Does it work for WhatsApp, TikTok or Facebook?

Yes. The steps are the same for any app. Take a screenshot and share it to abc OCR.

Is the screenshot uploaded?

No. The text is read on your phone. Google ML Kit sends Google basic diagnostics, such as the device model and error codes, but never your images or text.

What do you need it for?

Tell us what you are trying to do and where the app gets in your way. Many features started as one email. We read and answer every message.

Write to us

[email protected]