How to copy text from a screenshot on Mac
If the screenshot is saved as a file, select it in Finder, press Space and drag across the text: Live Text in Quick Look copies it for free. If you haven’t taken the screenshot yet, skip it. Press ⌘ ⇧ 2, drag over the text, and Copyable puts it straight into your clipboard, with no file left on your desktop.
How to do it with Copyable
Skip the screenshot
Where you would press ⌘ ⇧ 4, press ⌘ ⇧ 2 instead. The screen freezes so you can aim.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text
Select the area as you would for a screenshot. Only that area is read, and the image is thrown away.
Paste it
The text is in your clipboard the moment you let go, and the panel next to your selection shows it. Press ⌘ V wherever you need it.
Without Copyable
The free ways, and where they stop working. If one of them covers what you need, you don’t need an app.
Quick Look or Preview
Select the screenshot in Finder and press Space, or open it in Preview, then drag across the text and press ⌘ C.
Where it stops: You need the file first, and screenshots pile up on the desktop.
Paste a screenshot into a chatbot
Copy a screenshot with ⌘ ⌃ ⇧ 4, paste it into ChatGPT or another assistant and ask for the text.
Where it stops: The image is uploaded, every capture is a round trip, and a chat model may quietly tidy up or change what it reads. Check the result.
Tips for screenshots
- A screenshot someone sent you in Messages, Slack or Mail: open it and press ⌘ ⇧ 2 on it directly. No need to save it first.
- Screenshots that were resized or sent through a chat app lose sharpness. If a result has mistakes, zoom in on the image before you capture.
- A screenshot of a table can go to a spreadsheet as cells with Table mode.
Questions
Does Copyable save a screenshot?
No. It reads the selected area and throws the image away. The history in the menu bar keeps only text.
Can I still take normal screenshots?
Yes. macOS uses ⌘ ⇧ 3, ⌘ ⇧ 4 and ⌘ ⇧ 5 for screenshots, and they keep working. You can also change Copyable’s shortcut in Settings.
Can it copy text from a screenshot someone sent me?
Yes. Open it in any app, press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text.
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