# Picture to Text guides and tips URL: https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/picture-to-text/ App: Picture to Text - ExtractText (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/picture-to-text-extracttext/id6811564107) Author: Muhammad Shahid Khan Mac OCR app: drop in images or PDFs, or press Shift-Command-2 to capture any area of the screen, and get editable text in 30+ languages. Everything runs on your Mac. **Quick answer:** Picture to Text - ExtractText is a free Mac app by Muhammad Shahid Khan (Copy Text from Images & PDFs). This page lists all 10 guides for it. Each one answers a single real question in plain language, with screenshots from the app. ## All Picture to Text guides - [How to Extract Text From an Image on Mac (Every Method)](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/how-to-extract-text-from-image-on-mac/): For a single image, open it in Preview or Photos, hover over the text and drag to select it with Live Text, then press Command-C. For batches of images, multi-page PDFs, part of the screen or languages Live Text does not support, use Picture to Text: drop files in, or press Shift-Command-2 to capture any area, and it extracts the text on your Mac. - [How to Copy Text From a Scanned PDF on Mac](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/copy-text-from-scanned-pdf-mac/): A scanned PDF is a set of images of pages, so there is no text to select. To copy it, run OCR on the PDF. In Picture to Text, drag the PDF in: it reads each page on your Mac, shows progress page by page, labels each page in the result, and lets you copy or export all the text. - [Screenshot to Text on Mac: Capture Any Area With Shift-Command-2](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/screenshot-to-text-mac/): With Picture to Text installed, press Shift-Command-2 (or use the menu bar icon) and drag over any area of the screen. The text in that area appears instantly in a floating window, ready to copy. It works on videos, apps that block copying, images and PDFs, and only the area you select is captured. - [OCR for Urdu, Arabic, Persian and 30+ Languages on Mac](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/ocr-urdu-arabic-text-mac/): Picture to Text recognises 30+ languages on your Mac, including English, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Turkish, with Urdu, Persian, Pashto, Sindhi and Punjabi in beta. Leave the language on Automatic, or choose it manually for the best accuracy on right-to-left and mixed-language text. - [How to Scan a QR Code or Barcode on Mac (From Your Screen or an Image)](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/scan-qr-code-on-mac/): Press Shift-Command-2 in Picture to Text and drag over the QR code or barcode on your screen, or drop an image or PDF that contains it into the app. Picture to Text detects the code and shows its content, such as a link or text, which you can open or copy with one click. No phone needed. - [How to Copy Text From a Video or Video Call on Mac (YouTube, Zoom, Teams)](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/copy-text-from-video-mac/): Pause the video, then either use Live Text (in Safari or QuickTime on macOS Ventura and later, you can select text in a paused frame) or press Shift-Command-2 with Picture to Text and drag over the text. Screen capture OCR works on anything visible, including YouTube in any browser, and slides shared on Zoom, Teams or Meet, where Live Text cannot reach. - [Live Text Not Working on Mac? How to Fix It (and Select Text in Any Image)](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/live-text-not-working-mac/): Live Text needs macOS Monterey or later and must be switched on in System Settings > General > Language & Region > Live Text. It works in Preview, Photos, Safari and Quick Look, but not in every app, and only for supported languages. If text still will not select, it is usually too small, blurred or decorative. Picture to Text can read any image, PDF or area of the screen instead. - [How to Convert an Image or Scanned PDF to a Word Document on Mac](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/image-to-word-document-mac/): To turn an image or scanned PDF into a Word document on Mac, extract the text with OCR, clean up the line breaks, then paste it into Word or Pages and add headings, lists and tables. Save as .docx from Word, or File > Export To > Word in Pages. With Picture to Text, recognition happens on your Mac, so the document is never uploaded. - [How to Extract Links, Emails and Phone Numbers From an Image on Mac](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/extract-links-emails-phone-numbers-from-image-mac/): Drop the image or PDF into Picture to Text, or capture part of the screen with Shift-Command-2. Along with the text, it detects links, email addresses, phone numbers, QR codes and barcodes, and lets you open or copy each one with one click. That saves retyping long URLs and avoids mistakes in addresses and numbers. Check links before you open them. - [How to Translate Text in an Image or Screenshot on Mac](https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/translate-text-in-image-mac/): For a few lines, open the image in Preview or Safari, select the text with Live Text, Control-click and choose Translate. For long documents, other apps or languages Live Text does not read, extract the text first with Picture to Text, which can also translate the result on your Mac on macOS 26 or later. Check names, numbers and dates against the original. ## Common questions about Picture to Text ### Can a Mac extract text from an image? Yes. On macOS Monterey and later, Live Text lets you select text in images in Preview, Photos, Quick Look and Safari. Apps like Picture to Text handle batches, PDFs and screen capture. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/how-to-extract-text-from-image-on-mac/ ### Why can’t I copy text from a PDF on my Mac? The PDF is probably scanned, which means each page is an image with no text layer. You need OCR to extract the text. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/copy-text-from-scanned-pdf-mac/ ### How do I copy text from my screen on a Mac? With Picture to Text, press Shift-Command-2 and drag over the text. It appears in a floating window ready to copy. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/screenshot-to-text-mac/ ### Can I do Urdu OCR on a Mac? Yes. Picture to Text supports Urdu in beta, alongside Persian, Pashto, Sindhi and Punjabi. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/ocr-urdu-arabic-text-mac/ ### Can a Mac scan QR codes? Yes. With Picture to Text, press Shift-Command-2 and drag over a QR code on screen, or drop in an image or PDF that contains one. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/scan-qr-code-on-mac/ ### How do I copy text from a video on Mac? Pause the video and use Live Text in Safari or QuickTime on macOS Ventura or later, or press Shift-Command-2 with Picture to Text and drag over the text. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/copy-text-from-video-mac/ ### Why can’t I select text in an image on my Mac? Live Text may be off, your macOS may be older than Monterey, the app may not support it, or the text may be too small or in an unsupported language. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/live-text-not-working-mac/ ### How do I convert an image to a Word document on Mac? Extract the text with OCR, clean it up, paste it into Word or Pages, add formatting and save as .docx. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/image-to-word-document-mac/ ### How do I copy a link from an image on Mac? Drop the image into Picture to Text or capture it with Shift-Command-2. Detected links can be opened or copied with one click. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/extract-links-emails-phone-numbers-from-image-mac/ ### How do I translate text in an image on Mac? Select the text with Live Text in Preview, Photos or Safari, Control-click and choose Translate. For long text, extract it first with an OCR app. https://shahid09.is-a.dev/blog/translate-text-in-image-mac/