Screen text capture
Capture text from the screen instead of retyping it. The site says Selectable works on images and videos and can be triggered from any app.
Selectable
Selectable is a macOS OCR and text-capture utility for extracting text from anywhere on your screen, including images and videos. It supports copying, translation on newer macOS versions, text-to-speech, and output cleanup.
Overview
Selectable is a Mac utility for OCR and text capture. It lets you drag over text on your screen, including text embedded in images and videos, and copy the recognized text without retyping it.
The product is designed for quick capture and follow-up actions: you can translate copied text on supported macOS versions, listen with text-to-speech, or customize the output by preserving line breaks, removing empty lines, and masking sensitive data. The site also describes on-device processing and a one-time purchase model for website licenses.
Features
Auto translate
Translate captured text as part of the copy flow. The homepage notes translation is available on macOS 26 and later.
Text-to-speech
Hear captured text read aloud with natural voices. The product page says text-to-speech supports multiple languages.
Customize output
Keep formatting or clean it up before copying. Selectable can preserve line breaks, remove empty lines, and mask sensitive data.
Global shortcut access
Use keyboard shortcuts and the menu bar to start capture quickly. The homepage shows a global shortcut and a menu bar command for starting capture.
On-device workflow
Handle captures locally on the Mac. The site says the app runs on-device and does not require uploads for capture.
Use cases
Extract text from visual content
Pull readable text from screenshots, images, and video frames when the original text is not directly selectable.
Reuse text across apps
Select text in one app and paste it into another with line breaks preserved or cleaned up, depending on the target format you need.
Capture and translate on the fly
Translate text as you capture it on supported macOS versions, which is useful when reading or sharing content in another language.
Audible review
Listen to captured text with text-to-speech when reading is easier by ear than on screen.
Handle sensitive text more carefully
Mask sensitive information before copying text out of a screen capture, which helps when you want to keep private data out of the clipboard.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Captures text from anywhere on the Mac screen, including images and videos.
- Runs on-device, with the site emphasizing private, no-upload capture.
- Supports quick actions such as translation, text-to-speech, and output cleanup.
- Offers both website purchase options and an App Store version with iCloud sync.
- Provides a simple install flow from a DMG and license-key activation for direct downloads.
Cons
- Translation is only listed for macOS 26 or later.
- The website license options are tied to specific device counts rather than unlimited use.
- The site does not clearly document every supported output format or workflow detail on the public pages reviewed.
FAQ
What does Selectable need to run?
Selectable runs on macOS and supports capture from anywhere on the screen, so it can be used from any app where you can select an area of text. The download page lists macOS 11+ for the current version.
What can Selectable output?
The site says Selectable can capture text from images and videos, copy it instantly, translate it on macOS 26 or later, listen with text-to-speech, and mask sensitive data. It also mentions a Smart Capture mode that can turn captures into Markdown and JSON.
How do I set up Selectable?
The download page says the app is opened from a DMG and activated with a license key. The support and pricing pages also point to buy-now and license recovery flows.
Is Selectable meant for individual or team use?
The site does not describe team controls or shared administration features. The licensing shown on the pricing page is organized as one Mac, up to three Macs, or an App Store option with iCloud sync and family sharing.
Are there any known limitations?
Selectable is described as on-device and private, and the site says capture happens without uploads. The pages do not spell out every limitation, so compatibility details should be checked against the macOS version and app workflow you plan to use.
Quick Facts
- Category
- OCR / text capture
- Platform
- Mac
- Primary use
- Capture and reuse on-screen text without retyping
- Domain
- selectable.so
- License model
- One-time purchase options plus App Store purchase
- Current download requirement
- macOS 11+ for version 2.1.2
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