How to copy text from your iPhone screen on Mac
With iPhone Mirroring on macOS 15 Sequoia or later, your iPhone screen appears in a window on your Mac. Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text in that window, even in iPhone apps that don’t let you select it, and Copyable puts it in your Mac’s clipboard.
How to do it with Copyable
Open iPhone Mirroring
Open the iPhone Mirroring app on your Mac and go to the iPhone app that shows the text.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text
Select the text in the mirrored window. The window is small, so select tightly around the text.
Paste it
The text is in your clipboard the moment you let go, and the panel next to your selection shows it. It is on your Mac, ready for ⌘ V in any app.
Without Copyable
The free ways, and where they stop working. If one of them covers what you need, you don’t need an app.
Live Text on the iPhone
Take a screenshot on the iPhone, open it in Photos and select the text with Live Text. Universal Clipboard then lets you paste it on your Mac.
Where it stops: Several steps, and Universal Clipboard needs both devices signed in to the same Apple Account with Handoff turned on.
Tips for iPhone Mirroring
- iPhone Mirroring needs macOS 15 Sequoia and iOS 18 or later, and Apple doesn’t offer it in every region.
- The mirrored screen is small. If a result has mistakes, zoom in inside the iPhone app and capture again.
- Video that an iPhone app protects is hidden from screen capture here too.
Questions
Do I need iPhone Mirroring for this?
Yes, because Copyable reads your Mac’s screen. Without it, use Live Text on the iPhone itself.
Does it work with an iPad?
iPhone Mirroring is for iPhone. Text on an iPad has to be shown on your Mac some other way first.
Is the text sent to my iPhone or anywhere else?
No. It goes to your Mac’s clipboard. Copyable makes no network requests.
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