How to copy an error message you can’t select on Mac
When an alert, dialog or crash message won’t let you select its text, press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over it. The message is in your clipboard when you let go, ready to paste into a search engine, a support ticket or a chat. Copyable reads the screen, so it works for dialogs in any app, in remote desktops and in virtual machines.
How to do it with Copyable
Leave the error on screen
Don’t click OK yet. If the dialog has a Details or Show More button, open it first so the full message is visible.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text
Select the error text and any code or number in it, and leave out the buttons.
Paste it where you need it
Join the lines into one paragraph before you paste into a search box; keep them as they are for a bug report.
Without Copyable
The free ways, and where they stop working. If one of them covers what you need, you don’t need an app.
Look for a copy option or a log
Some dialogs have their own Copy button, and many apps write the same error to a log. Crash reports, for example, are listed in the Console app, where you can select the text.
Where it stops: Many alerts have neither, and finding the right log entry takes time.
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 error messages
- Search for the exact error code or the most specific sentence, in quotes.
- Before you paste into a public forum, remove personal details such as your name, email address or a file path with your user name in it.
- An error that flashes up and disappears: press ⌘ ⇧ 2 as soon as it shows. The screen freezes and the message stays put while you select.
Questions
Does it work for errors in Windows on my Mac?
Yes. In Parallels, VMware Fusion or a remote desktop session, the error is text on your screen like any other.
Can it read error codes like 0x8007000D?
Yes. Check zeros and the letter O after pasting: they look alike in many fonts.
Does it copy the buttons too?
Only if you include them in your selection.
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