Umi-OCR is one of the most popular free OCR tools for Windows — and the best part is that it requires no installation at all. This guide walks you through downloading and running Umi-OCR on your PC in under 5 minutes.
System Requirements
Before downloading, make sure your computer meets these requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 7 x64 or later (Windows 10/11 recommended)
- Architecture: 64-bit (x64) — 32-bit systems are not supported
- Storage: ~500 MB of free disk space after extraction
- RAM: 4 GB or more recommended for smooth performance
Step 1: Go to the GitHub Releases Page
Umi-OCR is distributed as a free download directly from GitHub. Visit:
👉 github.com/hiroi-sora/Umi-OCR/releases/latest
You will see the latest release with one or more .7z archive files available for download.
Step 2: Choose the Right Package
Umi-OCR comes in two engine variants:
| Package | Engine | Best For |
|---|---|---|
Umi-OCR_Rapid_v*.7z | RapidOCR | Best compatibility, works on all Windows versions |
Umi-OCR_Paddle_v*.7z | PaddleOCR | Slightly faster on modern hardware |
Recommended for most users: Download the Rapid version — it has the widest compatibility and uses less system memory.
Step 3: Extract the Archive
The download comes as a .7z compressed archive. To extract it:
- If you don’t have an extractor, download 7-Zip (free) or use WinRAR.
- Right-click the downloaded
.7zfile and select “Extract Here” or “Extract to folder”. - Wait for extraction to complete — this creates a folder containing the Umi-OCR application.
Step 4: Launch Umi-OCR
Inside the extracted folder, double-click Umi-OCR.exe to start the application immediately.
No installers, no registry entries, no admin rights required. Umi-OCR runs entirely as a portable application.
Step 5: First-Time Setup
On first launch, Umi-OCR will automatically detect your system language and configure itself. You can:
- Open Screenshot OCR to use hotkeys for screen capture recognition
- Open Batch OCR to process multiple image files at once
- Go to Global Settings to change the interface language or switch OCR engine plugins
Installing via Scoop (for Power Users)
If you use the Scoop package manager, you can install Umi-OCR with a single command:
scoop bucket add extras
scoop install extras/umi-ocrThis makes it easy to keep Umi-OCR updated alongside your other tools.
Want to Try OCR Without Downloading?
If you’re not ready to install desktop software, you can use Umiocr — a free online OCR tool powered by the same Umi-OCR engine. No download required, works in any browser: