How to copy text from a web page that won’t let you select it on Mac
Some pages turn off text selection, or show text inside images, videos, banners or canvases. Press ⌘ ⇧ 2, drag over the text, and Copyable copies it from the screen when you let go, in Safari, Chrome, Firefox or any other browser. For long articles, try Safari’s Reader first.
How to do it with Copyable
Scroll to the text
Make the window wide and press ⌘ + to zoom in if the text is small.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text
Select a heading, a paragraph or a whole column. Only that area is read.
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.
Reader in Safari
On an article, press ⌘ ⇧ R in Safari to show it in Reader. Reader shows the text in its own view, where you can usually select it.
Where it stops: Only for article-like pages and only for real text. Images, charts and banners stay pictures.
Google Lens in Chrome
In Chrome, right-click the page, choose Search with Google Lens and drag over the text. Lens can select and copy the text it finds.
Where it stops: Only inside Chrome, and the selected area is sent to Google.
Tips for web pages
- Text in images, slideshows, maps and embedded PDFs isn’t selectable either. Capture it the same way.
- Copying for your notes or a short quote is the usual case. Reusing large parts of someone’s work still needs their permission.
- A price table or a schedule on a page can go to a spreadsheet as cells with Table mode.
Questions
Do I need a browser extension?
No. Copyable is a Mac app that reads the screen, so it works in every browser without an extension.
Can it copy text from an image or an embedded PDF on a page?
Yes. It reads whatever is on screen in the area you select.
Why not just view the page source?
You can, for text that is really text. But it’s slow to find, and text inside images, videos or canvases isn’t in the source at all.
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