How to copy text from a screenshot on Mac

Copy a few lines with Preview

1. 1

   Open the image

   Open the screenshot or photo in Preview.

2. 2

   Select the words

   Hold the pointer over the text and drag to select it. If that does not work, choose Tools → Text Selection.

3. 3

   Copy and paste

   Control-click the selected words, choose Copy Text, and paste them wherever you need them.

You can use Photos too

If the picture is already in your Photos library, open it there and select the words with Live Text. Preview is handy for screenshots and other images saved in Finder.

• Apple: copy text from an image in Preview
• Apple: use Live Text in Photos

The Finder shortcut in NeatClick 1.2

NeatClick’s Copy Text action lets you grab text from several screenshots, photos, or PDFs at once. Everything happens on your Mac.

1. Select the images or PDFs in Finder and choose NeatClick → Copy Text.
2. When it finishes, paste the text into your note, document, or message.

A quick check before you use the text

Give names, addresses, and numbers a quick read after pasting. A 0 and an O can look very similar in a screenshot.

For a page with columns, select one passage at a time in Preview. Copy Text gives you plain text, so a table’s layout won’t carry over.

If the words aren’t being picked up

Try the original image rather than a thumbnail, and rotate it if the text is sideways. Clear, upright print works best; handwriting and blurry photos may need a little editing after you paste.

If NeatClick finds no readable text, it leaves your clipboard alone.

Files you can use

Copy Text supports still JPEG, PNG, HEIC/HEIF, single-page TIFF, WebP, and AVIF images your Mac can open, plus unlocked PDFs. Use individual still images rather than animations.

Frequently asked questions