Image to Text for Windows

Installation Issues

Problems that do not come with a clear error code. For specific messages, see Common Installation Errors.

Double-clicking the installer does nothing
  • Check whether the installer is already running: open Task Manager and look for the setup process. End it and try again.
  • Right-click the file → Properties → tick Unblock if it is shown.
  • Check that the download finished. Compare the file size with the one on the download page, or re-download it.
  • Your antivirus may have silently blocked it. Check its quarantine or history.
The installer hangs or is extremely slow
  • Another installation may be running, often Windows Update in the background. Let it finish, or restart.
  • Web-based installers download components during setup. Pause your VPN or check your network, or download the offline installer.
  • For Tesseract, selecting all language packs adds several hundred megabytes. Select only the ones you need.
The installation rolls back at the end
  • Restart Windows, then install again as administrator.
  • Remove any older version first. For PowerToys, if you are switching between the per-user and machine-wide installers, uninstall the existing one first.
  • Create a verbose log (msiexec /i file.msi /l*v install.log). Search it for Return value 3: the lines just above show the step that failed.
The app installed but does not open
  • Screen OCR tools often start only in the tray. Look under the ^ overflow arrow on the taskbar.
  • Portable apps need every extracted file. Running the .exe from inside the zip, or moving it without its folder, breaks it.
  • Look for a missing runtime error in Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application.
  • Try launching it as administrator once to rule out permission problems with its settings folder.
"This app can't run on your PC"
  • You downloaded the wrong architecture (for example ARM64 on an Intel/AMD PC, or the reverse). Check Settings → System → About → System type.
  • Your Windows build is older than the app requires. Run winver and update Windows.
  • Your device is in S mode. See S mode.
Blocked by company policy

On managed work PCs, AppLocker, Intune, or Group Policy may prevent installs, even of portable apps. Ask your IT department. Many companies already approve PowerToys through Company Portal or their software center.

The update fails but the old version works
  • Close the app completely, including its tray icon, before you update.
  • Download the new full installer and run it over the old version, instead of using the in-app updater.
  • For portable apps, extract the new version to a new folder and copy over the settings file if the app has one.

Clean reinstall checklist

  1. UninstallRemove the app from Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
  2. Delete leftover settingsLook in %LOCALAPPDATA% and %APPDATA% for a folder named after the app or developer. Back it up, then delete it.
  3. RestartThis releases locked files and finishes any pending updates.
  4. ReinstallUse a freshly downloaded installer from the official source.