How to copy text from anything on your Mac screen

Text inside an image, subtitles in a video, an error dialog, a page that blocks selection. macOS can read all of these. Here are three ways, from built-in to fastest.

Option 1: Live Text, built into macOS

In Preview, Photos, Quick Look and Safari, move the pointer over text in an image. It turns into a text cursor. Drag to select, then press ⌘C.

It also works on a paused video in Safari and QuickTime Player.

This is free and already on your Mac. It only works inside apps that support it, so it won't help with a dialog box, a game or a remote desktop window.

Option 2: take a screenshot first

1. Press ⇧⌘4 and drag over the text.
2. Click the thumbnail that appears in the corner, or open the file in Preview.
3. Select the text in the image and press ⌘C.
4. Delete the screenshot.

This works for anything on screen. It takes four steps and leaves a file behind.

Option 3: one shortcut with Lightcap

1. Press ⌃⌘5.
2. Drag over the text.

The text is on your clipboard. A short notice shows how many lines were copied. No file is saved.

• It works on anything you can see: images, video frames, dialogs, PDFs that won't select, remote desktop windows.
• Pick the language in Settings > Capture: Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, German and more. English is always read alongside it.
• Recognition runs on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded.

Getting cleaner results

• Zoom in first if the text is small. Larger letters are read more accurately.
• Drag tightly around the text you want. Extra icons and borders can turn into stray characters.
• Check numbers and codes. Characters like 0 and O, or 1 and l, are the usual mistakes in any text recognition.

Questions

How do I copy text from an image on Mac?

Open the image in Preview or Safari, move the pointer over the text, drag to select it and press Command-C. This is Live Text, built into macOS.

How do I copy text that can't be selected on Mac?

Take a screenshot and use Live Text on it, or use Lightcap: press Control-Command-5 and drag over the text. It is copied to the clipboard without saving a file.

More

• Lightcap as a Screen Studio alternative
• Lightcap as a CleanShot X alternative
• What makes a screenshot app lightweight, and how to check
• How to record your Mac screen with zoom
• How to take a scrolling screenshot on a Mac
• How to translate text on your Mac screen
• How to hide sensitive information in a screenshot on a Mac

Download Lightcap for Mac and try every feature free for 7 days. No account or card needed. It runs on macOS 15 or later.