Copy text from your Mac screen without retyping it

Select words on the screen, or read the text in a screenshot you just took, and paste them somewhere else.

Retyping a paragraph from a window is slow, and it is easy to miss a digit. Shoverlay can copy the text that is already on screen, or read the text in a capture you just made.

Copy text straight from the screen

Choose OCR from the menu or the All-In-One picker.
Drag around the words you want.
Paste them into a document, a message, or a search field.

You do not have to save an image if you only need the words. Screen Recording permission is still required, because Shoverlay has to see the screen.

Read a screenshot you already took

After a capture, Quick Access can run OCR on that image. Use this when you want both the picture and the text, for example a dialog you will file and the error sentence you will paste into a note.

What to check if the words are wrong

Recognition follows what is visible. A blurry window, very small type, or text that is partly covered will come through poorly. Zoom the content or capture a tighter area and try again. The text stays on your Mac with the capture. Shoverlay does not upload it.

Install Shoverlay on the Mac App Store.