Extract text from images and scanned PDFs on Mac (OCR)
Read text out of photos, screenshots and scanned PDFs with Apple's Vision framework.
Three steps. That's it.
- 1
Drop your files
Drag files onto Extract Text, choose them with Choose Files, or right-click them in Finder.
- 2
Choose the options
Set what you need in the options panel, such as use a pdf's own text when it has some. Your choices are remembered for next time.
- 3
Get the result
The result lands in a new dated folder in Downloads › OneMacTools. Your originals are never changed.
What Extract Text does
Drop images or PDFs and get their text as .txt files, combined or one per file, and copied to the clipboard. Recognition runs on your Mac and detects the language automatically. PDFs that already contain text are read directly.
It's also a Finder Quick Action: right-click files and choose OMT: Extract Text.
Options
Great for
- Digitise printed notes
- Copy text from a photo of a whiteboard
- Search scanned letters
Questions about Extract Text
Does Extract Text upload my files?
No. Extract Text runs entirely on your Mac, so your files never leave it and it works offline.
Will Extract Text change my original files?
No. Results are saved as new files in a dated folder in Downloads › OneMacTools, and your originals are left exactly as they were unless you turn on an option that says otherwise.
What does Extract Text need?
Just a Mac with macOS 26 or later. There's nothing else to install.
Can I use Extract Text from Finder?
Yes. Right-click files in Finder and choose Quick Actions › “OMT: Extract Text”. It runs in the background and notifies you when it's done.
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Extract Text, plus 88 more.
One app. One price.
All 89 tools for $29, once. 14-day money-back guarantee.