How to copy text and numbers from a chart on Mac
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the chart. Copyable copies the text printed on it: the title, axis labels, legend and any values written on the bars or points. It doesn’t measure bars or lines, so a value that isn’t written on the chart can’t be copied.
How to do it with Copyable
Show the chart large
Zoom in on the chart in the browser, PDF or slide. Axis labels are usually the smallest text on a chart.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text
Select the whole chart for everything at once, or only the legend or one axis for a cleaner result.
Paste and arrange
Labels and values come out as lines of text. Paste them where you need them and arrange them into rows if you are rebuilding the data.
Without Copyable
The free ways, and where they stop working. If one of them covers what you need, you don’t need an app.
Find the source data
Charts in reports and on websites often come from a published table or a downloadable file. Look for a data download link or a table in the appendix.
Where it stops: Not always published.
A screenshot, then Preview
Press ⌘ ⌃ ⇧ 4 (Command-Control-Shift-4) and select the area to copy a screenshot to the clipboard. Open Preview, choose File → New from Clipboard and select the text with Live Text.
Where it stops: Works for anything on screen, but each capture takes several steps and leaves a Preview window to close.
Tips for charts
- Rotated labels, such as a vertical axis title or slanted category names, are harder to read than horizontal text. Capture them separately if they come out wrong.
- If the chart has a data table next to it, capture the table with Table mode: you get cells instead of lines.
- Copyable doesn’t estimate values from the shape of bars or lines. Only printed numbers are copied.
Questions
Can it turn a chart into a table?
Only the text on it. Copyable reads printed labels and numbers; it doesn’t measure bar heights or line positions.
Can it read pie chart labels?
Yes, when the labels are printed on or next to the slices.
What about a table next to the chart?
Switch to Table before you drag and paste it into Numbers, Excel or Google Sheets as cells.
Copy text from anything on your screen
Copyable reads the text in any area you select with ⌘ ⇧ 2, on your Mac, without uploading anything. $4.99 once, plus tax where it applies. Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.
Buy for $4.99