BMP (bitmap) is one of the oldest and simplest image formats, storing pixels with little or no compression. You will still run into BMP files from older Windows software, scanners, and screen-capture tools — and like any image, a BMP keeps its text locked away as pixels. Our BMP to text converter uses optical character recognition (OCR) to read those pixels and hand you clean, editable plain text. There is nothing to install and no account required.
The tool reads printed text from documents, signs, slides, and screenshots saved as bitmaps, and it supports roughly 12 languages so accented and non-English characters come through correctly.
How to convert BMP to text
- Open the BMP to text converter and drag your
.bmpfile onto the upload area, or click to browse. - Select the language that matches the text in the image.
- Click Convert to run the OCR engine.
- Review the extracted text in the preview pane and tidy up anything that needs it.
- Copy the text or download it as a
.txtfile.
Most BMP files convert in just a few seconds.
Why use this tool
It is completely free — no sign-up, no watermark, and no daily cap. It is also private by design: your uploaded BMP is processed and then automatically deleted from our servers, so nothing is stored after you get your text. Because BMP files are uncompressed, they often carry crisp pixels that OCR can read very accurately.
Working with other formats too? The same engine powers PNG to Text, JPG to Text, and the general-purpose Image to Text tool, so you can convert any image you have without hunting for a different site.
Tips for best results
High-contrast text on a plain background reads best. If your bitmap is low resolution, scaling it up rarely helps — start from the sharpest original you have. Straighten skewed text and crop out clutter before uploading. Clear, standard fonts beat decorative or tightly spaced ones. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see our guide on how to extract text from an image.