How to copy code from a video tutorial on Mac
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 while the tutorial plays and drag over the command or code block; it is in your clipboard when you let go, with its indentation intact. Paste it into Terminal or your editor, read it, then run it. Copyable works in any video player or browser.
How to do it with Copyable
Find the frame with the code
Make the video full screen and choose the highest quality. Code in small monospaced type is where compression hurts most.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text
Select the whole block at once. Copyable keeps leading spaces, so indented code such as Python or YAML keeps its structure.
Paste it and check before you run it
Press ⌘ V in Terminal or your editor. Read the command before you press Return: a prompt such as $ or % from the video may have come along.
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 in QuickTime Player and Safari
On macOS 13 Ventura and later, pause the video in QuickTime Player or Safari, drag across the text in the frame and press ⌘ C.
Where it stops: Only in those two apps. Chrome, Firefox, VLC, IINA and most course apps don’t have it.
The description or the repository
Many tutorials link to their code in the description or in a Git repository. Copying from there is exact.
Where it stops: Only when the author published it, and it may not match the version shown in the video.
Tips for code and commands
- Check characters that look alike in code fonts: 0 and O, 1, l and I, and straight versus curly quotes.
- Remove the prompt ($, % or >) before running a copied command.
- Don’t run a copied command you don’t understand, especially one with sudo or one that pipes a download into a shell.
- For a long file shown over several screens, capture each part in order. The menu bar history keeps them all.
Questions
Does it keep indentation?
Yes. Leading spaces are kept, so indented code pastes with its structure.
Will it copy the $ prompt too?
If the prompt is inside your selection, yes. Start the selection after it, or delete it after pasting.
Does it work with dark terminal themes?
Yes. Light text on a dark background is fine. What matters most is that the text is large and sharp on screen.
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