How to copy text from a slide on Mac
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the slide, whether it is in a webinar, a shared presentation, a recorded talk or a deck exported as images. The text is copied when you let go. When the next slide appears in the same place, press ⌘ ⇧ 1 to read that area again.
How to do it with Copyable
Show the slide on screen
In a meeting, make the shared screen as large as you can. In a recording, pick a frame where the slide is fully shown.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text
Select the whole slide or just the bullet points. Copyable reads only the area you select.
Next slide: press ⌘ ⇧ 1
Copyable reads the same area again, so you can collect a whole talk without dragging each time. Every capture is kept in the menu bar history.
Without Copyable
The free ways, and where they stop working. If one of them covers what you need, you don’t need an app.
Ask for the deck
Text in the original Keynote, PowerPoint or Google Slides file can be selected and is exact. Presenters often share it after the talk.
Where it stops: Only if someone sends it to you.
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 slides
- Text on photos or gradients reads best when you select only the text.
- QR codes on a slide are detected too: the panel shows the link with an Open button.
- A table on a slide can go to a spreadsheet as cells. Switch to Table before you drag.
- Speaker notes aren’t shown to the audience, so they can’t be captured from a shared slide.
Questions
Can I copy a whole presentation at once?
No, one area at a time. With ⌘ ⇧ 1 for each new slide it goes quickly, and the history keeps every capture.
Does it work with Keynote, PowerPoint and Google Slides?
Yes, and with Canva, PDFs and slides inside videos or meetings. Copyable reads the screen, not the file.
Can it read a QR code on a slide?
Yes. Select the code and the panel shows what it contains, with an Open button for a link.
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