how to copy text from a screenshot on mac

to copy text from a screenshot on mac, open it in preview, drag across the words, control-click and choose copy text. that uses live text on mac, which apple also offers in photos. as of october 2026, apple notes live text isn't available in all regions or languages.

download remynd for mac for text in windows you had in focus but never captured.

how do you copy text from a screenshot in preview?

preview is the most direct route for a screenshot file, in our view. apple's preview live text guide lists the steps:

1. open the screenshot in preview.
2. hold the pointer over the text.
3. drag to select the text, control-click the selection, then choose copy text.
4. paste it into another document or app.

if you can't select text, apple says to choose tools > text selection to turn on the text selection tool.

the same menu can look up a word, translate it, or search the web for it. apple notes translation isn't available in all languages and may not be available in some countries or regions.

can you copy text from an image in photos?

you can copy text from a photo with live text too, per apple's photos guide. open the photo, position the pointer over the text, control-click, and choose copy text, or press command c.

in our view, preview suits a one-off screenshot on the desktop, and photos suits images already in your library.

where do screenshots save on a mac?

screenshots save to your desktop by default, per apple's screenshot guide, published september 14, 2026, named with the date and time.

• shift command 3 captures the entire screen.
• shift command 4 turns the pointer into a crosshair to capture a portion.
• shift command 4, then space bar captures a window or menu.
• shift command 5 opens the screenshot app, which apple says is available in macos mojave 10.14 or later.

the screenshot app's options menu lets you change where screenshots are saved. to skip the file, apple says adding control to the shortcut saves to the clipboard instead, for example control shift command 3.

why is live text not working?

apple says live text isn't available in all regions or languages. apple's macos feature availability page lists the languages that support it. if your language is not listed, in our read the copy text option will not help.

two other checks from apple's guides: turn on tools > text selection in preview, and remember that some apps, such as the apple tv app, might not let you take screenshots of their windows.

what if you never took a screenshot?

in our read, live text needs an image, so text you only saw on screen is out of reach. in our view, hunting for half-remembered information is common. in microsoft's may 9, 2023 work trend index, a survey of 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed workers across 31 markets, 62% of respondents said they struggle with spending too much of their workday searching for information.

the same survey found 86% were looking for ai to help find the information and answers they need. for the wider picture, see what is ocr and how to find something you saw on your screen.

where does remynd fit?

remynd records your screen on a mac, runs ocr locally with apple vision, and keeps the searchable index on your mac. text comes from the focused window only, and video covers windows you have not excluded.

you can exclude apps and sites, and private browser windows are excluded by default. press control space to search in plain language, refine by app, date or source, and jump to an exact moment, provided remynd was running then and the window was not excluded. it needs macos 14 or later on an apple silicon mac, and it is free to download.

what are the limits of this guide?

• it follows apple's guides as we read them on october 28, 2026. menu names can differ between macos versions.
• we did not test every language or region for live text.
• it covers preview and photos only. other apps may handle text in images differently.

download remynd for mac and search text from windows you had in focus, screenshot or not.