The Default Hotkey List
Capture2Text is built around keyboard shortcuts — the whole point is to OCR a piece of your screen in about one second without touching the mouse more than necessary. Here is every default hotkey, verified against the official documentation:
| Hotkey | Action | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
Win+Q |
Standard OCR capture | Press to open the blue capture box, resize it over the text, press again (or left-click / Enter) to OCR. Text goes to the clipboard. |
Win+E |
Text Line OCR capture | Hover the line of text, press once — Capture2Text auto-detects and OCRs the whole line. No box to draw. |
Win+W |
Forward Text Line capture | Hover a character, press once — captures the line starting at that character and working forward. |
Win+S |
Bubble OCR capture | Click in the empty part of a comic speech/thought bubble (not on the text), press once — the bubble’s text is OCR’d. Great for manga. |
Win+O |
Text direction | Cycles horizontal / vertical / auto when Chinese or Japanese is the active OCR language (affects furigana stripping too). |
Win+1 / Win+2 / Win+3 |
Quick-access languages | Instantly switch the active OCR language between three languages you pick in Settings. |
Which Capture Mode Should You Use?
- Win+Q (standard): the all-rounder. Use it for paragraphs, UI text, error dialogs — anything where you want to control the exact region.
- Win+E (text line): the speed option. One keypress, no dragging, when you just need a single line.
- Win+W (forward line): for starting mid-line — e.g. skipping a timestamp or label at the start of a line.
- Win+S (bubble): the specialist. Only useful for enclosed speech/thought bubbles (comics, manga), but nothing else does it this fast.
Language Switching Without the Mouse
Set your three most-used languages as quick-access languages under Settings → OCR → Quick-Access Languages, then Win+1/2/3 flips between them instantly. If you OCR Japanese or Chinese, remember Win+O: on “auto”, Capture2Text picks horizontal when the capture box is wider than twice its height, otherwise vertical. See managing OCR languages for the full language workflow, including adding new languages.
Make the Hotkeys Yours
Defaults not working for you — or conflicting with another app? Every hotkey can be remapped or disabled in Settings → Hotkeys. Our hotkey customization guide walks through it, and the AutoHotkey guide shows how to trigger captures from your own scripts. New to the app? Start with the installation guide or browse all guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the default OCR hotkey in Capture2Text?
Win+Q starts a standard OCR capture: press it once to show the capture box, resize the box with the mouse, then press Win+Q again (or left-click / Enter) to OCR the region. The text goes to your clipboard.
What does Win+E do in Capture2Text?
Win+E performs a Text Line OCR Capture — it automatically captures the line of text closest to your mouse pointer, with no box to draw. Win+W is the forward variant: it captures the line starting at the character nearest your pointer.
What is Win+S for?
Win+S triggers Bubble OCR Capture: place the mouse in the empty part of a comic speech/thought bubble (not on the text) and press Win+S. Capture2Text OCRs the text inside the bubble — handy for manga and comics.
How do I switch OCR languages quickly?
Win+1, Win+2 and Win+3 switch between three quick-access languages you configure in Settings. Win+O toggles text direction (horizontal/vertical/auto) when Chinese or Japanese is the active language.
Can I change these hotkeys?
Yes — open Settings (right-click the tray icon), go to the Hotkeys tab, and pick a key plus modifiers for each action. Select “
My hotkey does nothing. What should I check?
First make sure Capture2Text is actually running (tray icon). Then check that no other application or Windows itself has claimed the same key combination — Win+Q in particular can be grabbed by other tools. Remap the hotkey in Settings to something unique.