How to copy text from a Zoom screen share on Mac
During the call, press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text in the shared screen; it is in your clipboard when you let go. Copyable reads one frame on your Mac: it doesn’t record the meeting, and nothing is uploaded. Links in the shared screen show up as buttons you can open.
How to do it with Copyable
Make the shared screen big
Switch Zoom to full screen and give the shared content as much of your display as you can. Larger text is read more reliably.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the text
The screen freezes, so a presenter who scrolls or moves to the next slide doesn’t take the text away while you select it.
Paste it or open it
The text is in your clipboard the moment you let go, and the panel next to your selection shows it. A link, email address or phone number shows up as a button.
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 in the chat
Ask the presenter to paste the link or the text into the meeting chat, where you can copy it.
Where it stops: Interrupts the presenter, and only works while they are there to answer.
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 Zoom
- What you see is a compressed video of the presenter’s screen. If small text comes out wrong, wait a moment for the picture to sharpen and press ⌘ ⇧ 1 to read the same area again.
- Copyable doesn’t record audio or video and sends nothing through Zoom. It reads one still frame on your Mac.
- A table in the shared screen can go straight into a spreadsheet: switch to Table before you drag.
Questions
Does Copyable record the meeting?
No. It reads a single frame when you press the shortcut and doesn’t save the image. As with any screenshot, follow your meeting’s rules about capturing what is shared.
Does it work with Zoom in the browser?
Yes. Copyable reads the screen, so the Zoom app and Zoom in Chrome or Safari work the same.
Can I open a link shown in the shared screen?
Yes. Links, email addresses and phone numbers in your selection show up as buttons in the panel.
Why is the shared screen black in my capture?
Some meeting apps can hide shared content from screen capture when the host turns that on. Then it appears black to every capture tool on the Mac, Copyable included.
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