Capture2Text Portable: Run OCR Without Installing (USB Guide)

Portable by Design, Not by Accident

Capture2Text never had an installer. The official documentation’s launch instructions are literally: unzip the zip, double-click Capture2Text.exe. Nothing is written to the registry, no services are installed, and the official FAQ states plainly: “There isn’t one [an uninstaller]. Capture2Text doesn’t have an installer either. To remove Capture2Text from your computer, simply delete the Capture2Text directory.”

There is exactly one thing that is not portable by default: the settings file. Here is how to fix that.

The –portable Flag: What It Does

By default, Capture2Text stores its settings (.ini file) in %appdata%\Capture2Text on the local machine. Launch the GUI with one extra flag:

Capture2Text.exe --portable

With this flag, the .ini is stored in the same directory as Capture2Text.exe. The entire folder — program, tessdata dictionaries, and settings — becomes one self-contained unit you can move, copy, or back up as a whole. (This is the one command-line option the GUI executable accepts, per the official docs.)

Setup: USB Stick / Cloud Drive in 3 Steps

  1. Copy the folder. Put the whole extracted Capture2Text folder on your USB stick or in a synced folder (OneDrive/Dropbox).
  2. Make a portable shortcut. Right-click Capture2Text.exe → Create shortcut, then edit the shortcut target to append --portable:
    "E:\Tools\Capture2Text\Capture2Text.exe" --portable
  3. Configure once. Set your hotkeys (see hotkey customization), quick-access languages (language guide) and output options. Everything is saved into the folder’s .ini.

Now plug the stick into any Windows PC and launch via the shortcut — your exact setup follows you, no admin rights required, no traces left in the host’s AppData.

What Travels With the Folder

  • Hotkey layout — your remapped shortcuts.
  • Language choices — active language, quick-access slots, and any extra .traineddata dictionaries you added to tessdata (see adding languages).
  • Output & translation settings — clipboard/popup preferences, translation targets, Call Executable hooks.

Resetting / Uninstalling

Something misconfigured? Delete the .ini next to the exe (portable mode) or in %appdata%\Capture2Text (default mode) to restore factory defaults. Done with the app entirely? Delete the folder — that is the whole uninstall.

Ready to install? Follow the installation guide, then browse all guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Capture2Text portable?

Yes — fully. There is no installer: unzip and run Capture2Text.exe. For a truly self-contained setup, launch with the –portable flag so the .ini settings file is stored next to the .exe instead of %appdata%\Capture2Text.

How do I run Capture2Text from a USB stick?

Copy the whole Capture2Text folder to the USB drive, create a shortcut that launches Capture2Text.exe –portable, and all settings (hotkeys, languages, output options) travel with the stick. Plug into any Windows PC and run — no installation, no admin rights needed.

Where does Capture2Text store its settings?

By default in %appdata%\Capture2Text as an .ini file. With the –portable flag, the .ini sits next to Capture2Text.exe. Deleting the .ini resets all settings to defaults.

How do I uninstall Capture2Text?

Delete the Capture2Text folder (and optionally %appdata%\Capture2Text). There is no installer and no uninstaller — the official FAQ confirms removal is just deleting the directory.

Does the portable version have fewer features?

No. Portable vs non-portable changes only where the settings file lives. All capture modes, languages, CLI tools and translation features are identical.

Can I sync Capture2Text settings between computers?

Yes: use –portable mode and put the folder in a synced location (OneDrive, Dropbox, USB stick). The .ini travels with the program, so hotkeys and language choices stay in sync.