Google Lens on a Chromebook can search a selected part of your screen or copy text from an image. Open the Launcher, select Lens, then mark the area you want to search. First make Google your default search provider.
For an image or PDF already saved on the Chromebook, use Lens inside Gallery instead. Ordinary screen search and text copying don't require the extra Chromebook Plus actions, such as adding a date to Calendar.
In this guide
Start a screen search from the Launcher
Bring the content you want to search into view. It can be a picture, a passage of text or another visible item. Enlarge it enough to select the part you need without including unrelated content beside it.
Select Launcher at the lower-left corner of the screen, or press the Launcher key on the keyboard. Select the Lens icon, then choose a region on your screen.
The results appear in a Google Search window. Look for information matching the selected object or text. Selecting the whole screen when you only need one small item gives the search more unrelated material to work with.
Google says to choose its search engine as the default in the Chromebook Lens instructions. If another provider is selected, check that setting before treating a missing Lens action as a hardware problem.
In Chrome, open Settings > Search engine and check the default provider. Under Search engine, select Change and choose Google. An administrator may manage this setting at work or school.
If you can change that setting, choose Google, then try the screen search again and check for results. If the option remains unavailable on a managed Chromebook, ask IT whether screen search or Google Search is restricted for that account.
Use the Screen Capture tool as another entry point
Open Screen Capture from the Chromebook's quick settings. Select the time at the lower-right corner, then choose Screen capture. If that tile isn't in the first set of controls, expand the available quick settings.
In the capture toolbar, select Take partial screenshot. Drag a selection around the screen content that needs searching. Choose Search with Google for that selection, then inspect the results in the Google Search window.
This route is helpful when you're already selecting a small area for a capture. Lens searches the area you select, so you don't have to include every open window.
Use the search action offered for the selection instead of assuming that saving a screenshot performs a search. A screenshot file and a Lens result are different outcomes of working with screen content.
If only part of a word is included, make a new selection containing the full word or sentence. Check the source image too: text that is tiny or blurred on screen can be difficult to recognize accurately.
Search a saved picture or PDF in Gallery
Open Files and select the image or supported file you want to search. Alternatively, open Gallery, choose Open file near the top left, then select your file.
At the top of Gallery, select Search with Google Lens. Mark the area within the picture or PDF that you want to search, then select Search with Google Lens for that area.
That second selection matters. Opening a document in Gallery doesn't automatically choose the particular object, paragraph or form field you're interested in. Select the relevant area before checking its results.
For a PDF containing several pages, display the page you need first. Select just the text you need. You'll have less unrelated material in the result and can check it against the original text more easily.
The Gallery Lens workflow supports tasks such as searching images and copying text. Use it for saved material instead of photographing the laptop's screen with another device.
I'd start in Gallery when the file is already there. It avoids creating a second screenshot of the same picture and makes it easier to choose the exact area that matters.
Copy words from an image instead of retyping them
After selecting an area containing text, check the offered actions for Copy text. That action is available when text is detected. Choose it, then paste into the document or field where you need those words.
Check pasted text against the source before sending or saving it. Pay attention to names, dates, reference numbers and similar-looking characters. If a character is hard to read in the original, Lens can copy it incorrectly too.
If Copy text isn't offered, select a clearer, larger view of the words and try again. A picture without recognized text can still produce search results, so those results don't mean a text-copy action must also appear.
For a long passage, work with a readable section at a time. That makes checking line breaks and omitted words easier than pasting an entire page and trying to find a small error afterward.
Check which actions need Chromebook Plus
Screen selections can show Search with Google Search and, when text is detected, Copy text. The additional More actions options are limited to Chromebook Plus devices.
For example, a selection containing a date can offer an action to add it to Calendar on Plus. The available action depends on what's selected, so selecting a photograph without a date won't necessarily offer a calendar command.
Send to Docs is another listed extra action. A regular Chromebook missing that command can still use ordinary Lens search or text copying. Reinstalling the browser won't turn it into a Plus model.
The regular-Chromebook Gemini guide explains a similar distinction between a service you can open on the web and features built into particular models. Lens search itself and the Plus extras have separate availability rules.
When Lens won't open or gives poor results
Close the Lens view by selecting outside its results window. Try the Launcher route again with a clear, simple selection. Note whether the search window never opens, opens without results or searches the wrong area.
If the whole Chromebook stops responding, use the Chromebook freezing checks first. If you can't switch apps, the device may be frozen. If Lens identifies the wrong object, try selecting that object more closely.
For a control you still can't find, send Chromebook Help or your administrator the ChromeOS version, device model, account type and the route that failed. Include whether Gallery search works when Launcher search doesn't.
The Short Version
Use Launcher Lens for visible screen content, Screen Capture for a selected region, and Gallery Lens for saved files. Copy text appears when words are detected. More actions such as Calendar and Send to Docs require Chromebook Plus.
Checked November 13, 2026.
