Capture text from any screen region
Press ⌘⇧2 or a custom shortcut, select a region with the crosshair, and receive the recognized text in the clipboard without managing a separate OCR window.
Letra
Letra is a macOS Sonoma 14+ menu bar OCR tool that copies text from screens, videos, PDFs, images and screen shares, with on-device OCR and QR decoding.
Mac screen OCR with a shortcut
Letra is a menu bar screen-OCR utility for Macs running macOS Sonoma 14 or later. It turns text that cannot be selected normally—such as text in a paused video, PDF, screenshot, video call, or screen share—into clipboard text. The basic workflow is a shortcut, a screen-region selection, and paste.
Recognition runs on the Mac using on-device OCR. Alongside screen capture, Letra can read copied images and PNG, JPEG, or PDF files, decode QR codes and barcodes, and retain captures in a searchable history. It is intended for short, immediate extraction tasks rather than large-scale document OCR or batch processing.
Screen OCR features
On-device OCR
Recognition runs locally on the Mac, so selected screen content does not need to be uploaded to a server and can work with Wi-Fi switched off.
Images, files, and multiple languages
Read text from screenshots, paused videos, screen shares, PDFs, copied images, and PNG or JPEG files. Language detection is automatic, with support for around 20 languages stated on the product page.
QR codes and links
Decode QR codes and barcodes from screen content or images. QR links can open automatically when enabled, and detected URLs are grouped in history.
Searchable capture history
Keep captures in a searchable menu bar history with filters for Text, Links, and QR Codes, then click an item to copy it again.
Workflow controls and automation
Choose accurate or fast recognition, control line-break handling, launch Letra at login, and trigger captures through its URL scheme for Raycast, Alfred, or Shortcuts workflows.
Practical uses
Extract text from videos
Select text from a paused tutorial, online course, or demonstration when the video player does not expose selectable text, then paste code or notes into an editor.
Work with scanned PDFs
Capture clauses, headings, or values from scanned pages and PDFs that do not allow normal text selection, while keeping the extracted passage in notes.
Follow up on screen shares
Read a URL, error message, or configuration value shown during a Zoom, Meet, or Teams screen share without asking the presenter to send it separately.
Use QR codes from screen content
Decode a QR code from a slide, poster, or photo and open its payload on the Mac; this is useful when the phone or camera is not immediately available.
Organize visual notes and references
Collect text from screenshots, copied images, whiteboards, recipe cards, or handwriting and return to earlier captures through the searchable history.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Copies text from otherwise non-selectable screen content directly to the clipboard.
- Processes captures on-device rather than sending screen content to an online OCR service.
- Includes QR and barcode decoding, searchable capture history, and support for copied images and common image or PDF files.
- Offers a one-time purchase with lifetime updates and a 7-day money-back guarantee.
- Can be used with custom shortcuts and URL-based triggers for Raycast, Alfred, or Shortcuts.
Cons
- Requires macOS Sonoma 14 or later, so it does not support older Macs such as systems limited to macOS Catalina.
- It is focused on screen and short-form extraction rather than document-OCR workflows such as batch processing large scans.
- OCR accuracy can vary with tiny text, low contrast, busy backgrounds, numbers, codes, and rushed or tight handwriting; captured values should be checked.
FAQ
How do you use Letra?
Letra runs as a macOS menu bar app. Press ⌘⇧2, or a shortcut you set, drag over the text on screen, and paste the resulting text from your clipboard.
Where does captured text go?
The selected screen region is processed with on-device OCR, and the recognized text is placed on the clipboard. A small toast displays a preview after capture.
Can Letra read QR codes and links?
Yes. Letra can decode QR codes and barcodes, and QR links can be opened automatically when that option is enabled. URLs detected in captures can also be found in searchable history under Links.
What Mac versions and OCR tasks does Letra support?
Letra supports macOS Sonoma 14 or later. It is designed for screen OCR rather than large document-processing jobs such as batch-converting a 200-page scan into a searchable PDF.
How is Letra licensed?
Letra costs $5.99 as a one-time purchase and includes a 7-day money-back guarantee. The source describes it as having no free trial.
Quick Facts
- Category
- Mac productivity utility / screen OCR
- Platform
- macOS Sonoma 14 or later
- Primary output
- Recognized text on the clipboard
- Processing
- On-device OCR
- License
- One-time $5.99 purchase; lifetime updates stated
- Source domain
- getletra.app
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