ToolsCapture and share
Text from Screen
Copy text out of any picture
Press F2 and drag over a photo, a paused video or an app that won’t let you select. The text is on your clipboard when you let go.
Free, with every tool and no account. macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel.
What it does
- Read on your Mac, in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and many more.
- Drag over a QR code to copy what it says; links open as well.
- Turn off Keep line breaks to get one paragraph.
Shortcuts
- F2
- Copy text from screen
On a Mac keyboard, F1 to F12 are pressed with fn, unless you’ve set them to work as standard function keys. Every shortcut can be changed or turned off in Settings.
What it asks for
Screen Recording, which macOS requires to read the screen. Pandabar asks when you first use it.
Often used instead of
- TextSniper
- CleanShot X
- Live Text in Preview
Questions
Is anything uploaded?
No. The text is recognized on your Mac.
Does it read QR codes?
Yes. Drag over one and what it says is copied; a link opens too.
Plus 30 more tools in the same app
Text from Screen is one of the tools in Pandabar, one small native Mac app. Every tool is free, and each one can be switched off.
All 31 tools in two minutes.
Free, every tool. No account, no card.