How to copy text from a YouTube video on Mac
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 while the YouTube video plays, drag over the text in the frame, and it is copied when you let go. It works in Chrome, Safari, Firefox or any other browser. If you need what is said rather than what is shown, YouTube’s transcript is the faster route.
How to do it with Copyable
Open the video and make it bigger
Switch to theater mode or full screen and choose the highest quality your connection allows. Small, compressed text is the main cause of mistakes.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text
You don’t need to pause first: the screen freezes the moment you press the shortcut. Keep the pointer off the video so YouTube’s controls stay hidden.
Paste it
The text is in your clipboard the moment you let go, and the panel next to your selection shows it. A web address in the frame shows up as a button you can open.
Without Copyable
The free ways, and where they stop working. If one of them covers what you need, you don’t need an app.
YouTube’s transcript
For spoken words, expand the video’s description, click Show transcript and select the text in the panel that opens. It’s free and as accurate as the video’s captions.
Where it stops: Only covers what is said. Text that appears only on screen, such as code, slides or a link in the frame, isn’t in it.
Live Text in Safari
On macOS 13 Ventura or later, pause the video in Safari and try dragging across the text in the frame.
Where it stops: Safari only. Chrome, Firefox and Edge don’t have Live Text.
Tips for YouTube
- Links shown in a video are often in the description too. Check there before you capture.
- For code, capture the whole block at once: Copyable keeps the indentation.
- A tutorial that walks through several screens: press ⌘ ⇧ 1 on each new screen to read the same area again.
Questions
Does it work with YouTube in Chrome?
Yes. Copyable reads the screen, not the browser, so Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Arc and Edge all work the same.
Can it copy YouTube captions?
Yes. Captions shown over the video are text on screen like any other. For a long video, the transcript (Show transcript in the description) is quicker.
Do I need to download the video?
No. Copyable reads what is on your screen. Nothing is downloaded or uploaded.
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