Yes. Live Text, added in macOS 12 Monterey, lets you select text in photos and images in apps like Photos, Preview and Safari. For text anywhere else on screen, such as a paused video or a scanned PDF, you need an app like TextSniper or MrFixable’s Copy Text from Screen.

Can MrFixable read QR codes like TextSniper?

No. Copy Text from Screen only recognizes text and copies it to the clipboard. It doesn’t read QR codes or barcodes, read text aloud or use your iPhone camera. If you need any of those, TextSniper is the better pick, and its basic license costs $7.99.

How do I copy text from an image on a Mac?

In Photos, Preview or Safari, Live Text lets you select the text in an image directly. Anywhere else, turn on Copy Text from Screen, press ⇧⌘2, drag over the text and paste it. TextSniper works the same way with its own ⇧⌘2 shortcut.

Alternatives

TextSniper alternative for Mac

TextSniper is a paid Mac app that copies text from anything on screen: drag over an image, video or PDF and the text lands on your clipboard. MrFixable’s Copy Text from Screen does the same core job with the same ⇧⌘2 shortcut. TextSniper adds QR code reading, text to speech and iPhone camera capture.

Try MrFixable free for 14 daysBuy for $19.99 Lifetime license

By Mohammed Chaara. Updated October 21, 2026. Facts about TextSniper come from its own website or App Store page, listed at the end.

What TextSniper is

TextSniper is a menu bar app for Mac OCR. Press ⇧⌘2 (you can change it) or choose Capture Text from its menu, select part of the screen, and the text is copied to the clipboard. It recognizes text on your Mac with no internet connection, reads QR codes and barcodes, can read text aloud, handles vertical Chinese, Japanese and Korean text, and can capture text with an iPhone or iPad camera. Its languages depend on your macOS version, over 25 on recent versions. It is a one-time purchase: $7.99 for one Mac or $9.99 for three Macs on its website, and the Mac App Store listed it at $9.99 in October 2026. Major upgrades cost extra.

TextSniper vs MrFixable

	TextSniper	MrFixable
Price	One-time: $7.99 (1 Mac) or $9.99 (3 Macs) on its website, $9.99 on the Mac App Store. Major upgrades cost extra.	$19.99 once (lifetime license) for all 68 fixes
Try before you buy	A week through an app subscription service, or a 7-day money-back guarantee on website purchases	14-day free trial of the full app
How you capture	⇧⌘2 or its menu bar icon, then select an area	⇧⌘2 or Select Area… in MrFixable’s menu, then drag over the text
Text recognition	On your Mac, no internet needed. Over 25 languages on recent macOS, including vertical Chinese, Japanese and Korean.	On your Mac, with the text recognition built into macOS. It detects the language by itself.
Result	Text on the clipboard	Text on the clipboard, line by line, with a short message saying how many lines were copied
QR codes and barcodes	Yes	No
Text to speech	Yes	No
iPhone or iPad camera	Yes	No
macOS support	macOS 12 or later on the Mac App Store. Its website says Catalina or newer.	macOS 14.2 Sonoma or later, tested on macOS 26 Tahoe

Where each one is better

TextSniper is better for

It reads QR codes and barcodes and can read text aloud.
It can capture text with your iPhone or iPad camera.
It costs less if OCR is all you need: from $7.99 once.
It offers different shortcuts for different extraction options.

MrFixable is better for

It’s one of 68 fixes for $19.99 once, so if you also want things like Window Snapping or App Volume, it’s one purchase.
There is nothing to set up: switch it on, press ⇧⌘2 and drag. If another app already uses ⇧⌘2, MrFixable marks the shortcut so you can pick another.

Choose TextSniper if

People who capture text all day and also want QR codes, text to speech or their iPhone camera, and people who only want an OCR app.

Choose MrFixable if

People who copy text from images, videos and PDFs now and then, and want other Mac fixes in the same app.

Switching from TextSniper

Both apps use ⇧⌘2 by default, so only one can have it. Quit TextSniper, or change its shortcut with Change Shortcut in its menu bar menu, before you turn on Copy Text from Screen. MrFixable asks for Screen Recording access the first time, like any app that reads what’s on screen. To keep both, give one of them another shortcut.

Questions

Does a Mac have OCR?
Yes. Live Text, added in macOS 12 Monterey, lets you select text in photos and images in apps like Photos, Preview and Safari. For text anywhere else on screen, such as a paused video or a scanned PDF, you need an app like TextSniper or MrFixable’s Copy Text from Screen.
Is TextSniper a one-time purchase?
Yes. TextSniper’s website sells a one-time license: $7.99 for one Mac or $9.99 for three Macs, and the Mac App Store listed it at $9.99 in October 2026. Major upgrades cost extra. MrFixable is $19.99 once for all 68 fixes, with a 14-day free trial.
Can MrFixable read QR codes like TextSniper?
No. Copy Text from Screen only recognizes text and copies it to the clipboard. It doesn’t read QR codes or barcodes, read text aloud or use your iPhone camera. If you need any of those, TextSniper is the better pick, and its basic license costs $7.99.
How do I copy text from an image on a Mac?
In Photos, Preview or Safari, Live Text lets you select the text in an image directly. Anywhere else, turn on Copy Text from Screen, press ⇧⌘2, drag over the text and paste it. TextSniper works the same way with its own ⇧⌘2 shortcut.