Microsoft has disabled the OCR functionality in its updated Photos app to "address some issues."

A Windows Insider preview of the Photos app was released in October, which introduced super-resolution for Copilot+ PCs – using AI to enlarge an image up to eight times its original size – and adding Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract text from photos on Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs.

Microsoft has had OCR functionality in its apps for some time. It's a genuinely helpful feature in OneNote, particularly when lifting printed text from a picture (such as a receipt or business card).

The Text Extractor feature in Power Toys is also handy when copying text from a picture or video – hit a simple key combination, draw a capture area, and see what appears in the clipboard. As with all OCR technologies, the text that appears might be utter nonsense, and a quick proofread is always a good idea.

Considering that Microsoft (and other vendors) are accustomed to OCR technology, its application in the Photos app was inevitable. Its omission was even a little surprising, considering Microsoft's determination to AI-enable everything in its product line. However, within a month of its preview release, Windows Insider Program head honcho Brandon LeBlanc confirmed the feature had been abruptly disabled while Microsoft addresses some issues, and the original blog post was updated to reflect that.

LeBlanc did not elaborate on the problem, although there have been reports of app crashes after installing the preview. Either way, this is the Windows Insider Program, and occasional glitches are to be expected.

Getting OCR working properly in images is essential for many of Microsoft's plans. The delayed Windows Recall service depends on being able to correctly parse an image in order to provide a user with a searchable archive. The inability to search a photo library for specific text remains a frustrating limitation in Windows. Yes, there are ways around the problem, but the OCR functionality in the preview of the Photos app pointed to a neat solution.

Hopefully, the feature will soon be restored and remain available to Windows 11 and Windows 10 users, rather than being reserved as an incentive to buy a Copilot+ PC. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/11/22/microsoft_ocr_preview_photos/