Published 2026-06-30

Setting Up OCR Mode in Exiled Exchange 2

Exiled Exchange 2 normally prices items by parsing the text that Path of Exile 2 writes to your clipboard when you press Ctrl+C. This clipboard-based approach is fast, accurate, and safe. There are, however, a handful of situations where the clipboard does not yield parseable text — and for those, it ships an optional OCR mode that reads the item tooltip directly from the screen.

This guide explains when OCR is the right tool, how to enable and configure it, and the trade-offs compared to the default clipboard workflow.

When to Use OCR Mode

OCR is a fallback, not a replacement for clipboard parsing. Reach for it when:

• The clipboard is empty or unparseable. Some trade windows, specific tooltip layouts, or unusual UI states do not produce structured item text on Ctrl+C. If pressing the trigger produces no overlay or an “unparseable” message, OCR may recover the item.
• You play in a non-English client and parsing fails. Clipboard item parsing is tuned for the English PoE2 client. OCR can sometimes read items in other client languages, though accuracy varies.
• A specific item type consistently fails to parse. If a particular category of item never prices correctly via the clipboard, OCR is worth trying before concluding the data is missing.

OCR is not the answer to:

• Items that parse fine but simply have no market data. If it identifies the item correctly and shows no price, that means there are no comparable listings — OCR will not conjure data that does not exist.
• General slowness. OCR is slower than clipboard parsing, not faster.
• Safety concerns. Both modes are read-only with respect to the game; OCR reads pixels from the screen, the clipboard mode reads copied text. Neither reads game memory.

How OCR Mode Works

When OCR mode is enabled and you trigger it (typically via a dedicated hotkey, distinct from the Ctrl+C clipboard trigger), the tool captures the screen region under your cursor, runs text recognition on it, and parses the recognized text the same way it would parse clipboard text. The pricing step that follows is identical — only the input source differs.

Because OCR is reading rendered pixels rather than the structured text the game writes to the clipboard, it is inherently noisier. Font rendering, tooltip transparency, background clutter, and item location can all affect accuracy.

Enabling OCR Mode

The exact menu labels can vary between releases, but the general steps are:

1. Open the Exiled Exchange 2 settings window.
2. Find the section for OCR or image-based parsing (often under an Advanced or Parsing tab).
3. Enable OCR mode and assign a hotkey for the OCR trigger.
4. Configure the capture region if it asks for one — most builds auto-detect the tooltip area, but some let you fine-tune it.

After enabling, test it on an item you can also price via the clipboard, so you can compare results and confirm OCR is working.

Tuning OCR for Accuracy

If OCR results are unreliable:

• Use the default tooltip font size and opacity. Heavy graphical mods or unusual tooltip scaling can degrade recognition.
• Avoid cluttered backgrounds. OCR works best when the tooltip sits against a relatively uniform backdrop. Hovering items in a busy stash tab can confuse it more than hovering in your inventory.
• Keep the PoE2 client in its supported resolution. Very low or non-standard resolutions can hurt recognition.
• Fall back to the clipboard when possible. For any item that parses cleanly via Ctrl+C, prefer that path — it is faster and more accurate.

OCR and Supported Languages

English is the primary language for both clipboard parsing and OCR. For other client languages, OCR may help where clipboard parsing fails outright, but expect lower accuracy and be prepared to verify prices manually against the official trade site.

When OCR Also Fails

If neither the clipboard nor OCR produces a reliable price, the practical options are:

• Switch the PoE2 client to English for the trading session and retry the clipboard workflow.
• Manually search the item on the official Path of Exile 2 trade site.
• Accept that some rare modifier combinations simply have no comparable market data yet.

Related Guides

• Price-checking guide — the primary clipboard workflow you should use before OCR.
• Keyboard shortcuts — configuring the OCR hotkey alongside the clipboard trigger.
• Currency exchange — once OCR returns an item, the pricing step is the same.

Download the latest build from the official GitHub Releases if you have not installed Exiled Exchange 2 yet.

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