How to scan a QR code on your Mac screen
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag over the QR code, whether it is on a slide, a web page, a PDF or a shared screen. Copyable detects it and shows what it contains in the panel next to your selection, with an Open button for a link. No phone needed, and barcodes are detected too.
How to scan a QR code with Copyable
Show the whole code on screen
Make sure the whole code is visible, including the plain margin around it. Zoom in if it is small.
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and drag around it
Include a little space around the code. Barcodes are detected the same way.
Check, then open
The panel shows the link or text in the code. Look at where a link goes, and open it only if you trust 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.
Your iPhone camera
Point the iPhone camera at your Mac’s screen and tap the link that appears.
Where it stops: You need the phone in your hand, and the link opens on the phone, not on your Mac.
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 QR codes
- A QR code can lead anywhere. Read the address before you open it, especially from emails, posters or slides you didn’t expect.
- Small or blurry codes in a video may not be detected. Make the video larger or wait for a sharper frame, then press ⌘ ⇧ 1 to read the same area again.
- A code next to text: select both, and you get the text and the code in one capture.
Questions
Can it read barcodes too?
Yes. Barcodes are detected as well as QR codes.
Does it open links by itself?
No. It shows the link with an Open button, so you decide.
Does it work with QR codes in Zoom or Teams?
Yes. A code in a shared screen is on your screen like anything else.
Does it need the internet?
No. The code is read on your Mac. Opening a link, of course, does.
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