Copy text out of a screenshot with Live Text — via Apple Support

Tricklow riskmacOS 14 Sonoma and later

macOS can read text in images. Open a screenshot in Preview and you can select the words in it and copy them, just like a document. Great for error messages, slides or anything you can't normally select.

Takes effect right away

How to do it

Open the screenshot in Preview.
Hold the pointer over the text and drag to select it. If that doesn't work, choose Tools > Text Selection first.
Control-click the selection and choose Copy Text, then paste it anywhere.

Live Text isn't available in every language or region; Apple's macOS Feature Availability page has the list.

Sources

Interact with text in a photo using Live Text in Preview on Mac — by Apple Support

Source reviewed: 2026-11-02
Link checked: 2026-11-02
Tested hands-on: Not by Oddbyte.Me

Oddbyte.Me hasn't tried this on every macOS version, so keep the undo handy.

live textocrcopy textscreenshotpreview

More in Screenshots

Copy a screenshot straight to the clipboard — via Apple Support

Tricklow risk

If you're pasting a screenshot into a chat or email, you don't need a file at all. Add Control to any screenshot shortcut and the image goes to the clipboard instead of the desktop.

Save screenshots as JPG or HEIC instead of PNG — via Yann Bertrand, macos-defaults.com

Commandlow risk

PNG screenshots of photos or busy screens can be several megabytes each. Switching the format to JPG or HEIC makes much smaller files, which is handy for sharing. The catch: these are lossy, so text can look slightly softer.

Turn off the floating screenshot thumbnail — via Apple Support

Hidden settinglow risk

After each screenshot, a thumbnail sits in the corner for a few seconds so you can mark it up. If you take lots of screenshots in a row, or the thumbnail gets in the way of your next shot, you can switch it off.