Copy text from anywhere on your screen
On-device OCR in your Mac's menu bar
Select any area of your screen - an image, a video, a PDF, a presentation - and its text is on your clipboard in one keystroke. Apple's on-device OCR reads text and QR codes alike, and nothing ever leaves your Mac.
Use menu item in the menu bar or a keyboard shortcut to capture the text
How it works
Trigger a capture
The hotkey (default: Command-Shift-2) or the menu bar icon.
Drag to select the region
The screen dims; select the area you want to capture. Esc cancels.
Paste it anywhere
The recognized text is already on your clipboard - and a region holding only a QR code comes back as the text it encodes.
Features
- Drag-to-select any region on your screen
- OCR with automatic language detection
- QR code detection
- Recognized text lands on the clipboard automatically
- Capture history - up to 20 recent captures
- Works completely offline - nothing leaves your device
- Configurable global hotkey, with an off switch
Permissions
Text Capture uses macOS Screen Recording access only to capture the region you choose. It does not record your screen continuously, monitor other apps, or send captured content anywhere.
How to add the app manually
Hotkeys
- ⌘⇧2to capture and copy text
FAQ
How do I capture text?
Once you trigger a capture using the hotkey (default: Command+Shift+2) or the menu bar icon, the screen dims - drag to select the area you want to capture. Press Esc at any time to cancel.
Does Text Capture record my screen all the time?
No. Screen reading only happens when you trigger a capture with the hotkey or menu bar icon - it reads the selected area once, extracts any text, and immediately discards the pixels. Nothing is recorded, or sent anywhere.
Why does Text Capture use Screen Recording access?
Screen Recording access lets Text Capture read the selected region when you start a capture. macOS requires this permission for every app that captures screen content. The Permissions section above includes the manual setup steps.
Can I turn off the keyboard shortcut?
Yes. In Settings, you can disable the Capture & Copy global hotkey. You can still start captures from the menu bar or Dock app.
Text Capture is missing from the permission list. How do I add it?
Open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, choose Screen Recording, click the "+" button at the bottom of the list, go to Applications, select Text Capture, and click Open. Then enable Text Capture in the list.
Can Text Capture scan QR codes?
Yes, if you capture a region that contains only a QR code, Text Capture will decode it and copy the encoded text to your clipboard. However, if your capture area includes text alongside a QR code, Text Capture will extract the text and ignore the QR code.
Can I access my previous captures?
Yes, Text Capture stores up to 20 of your most recent captures. You can browse them from the menu bar or the app window. If you have captured sensitive information, you can clear the history at any time.
Guides
- Copy text from an image on a MacLive Text covers Preview, Photos and Safari. This is what to do about the images it can't reach.
- Copy text from a video on a MacThe command in the tutorial, the URL on the slide: how to get text off a paused frame no player will let you select.
- Scan a QR code on your Mac's screenThe code is on the screen you are already sitting at, so decode it in place instead of photographing your own monitor.
Get Text Capture
Free, and always in the menu bar.
No data or personal information is collected by this app · Contact support