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Live Text not working on Mac? How to fix it, and where it can't help
Live Text lets you select text inside images and paused video on a Mac, in apps like Preview, Photos and Safari. When it won't select anything, the cause is usually a setting, the app you opened the image in, or a video that's still playing. Here are the fixes in the order worth trying, and what to do when the text isn't in an image at all.
Fixes, in order
- Check that Live Text is on. Open System Settings › General › Language & Region and turn on Live Text ("Select text in images to copy or take action").
- In Preview, turn on text selection. If you can't select the words, choose Tools › Text Selection. Apple gives this exact fix in Preview's help.
- Pause the video. Live Text reads paused video frames, not video that's playing. Pause, then drag over the words.
- Use an app that supports it. Apple documents Live Text in Preview, Photos and Safari. Its documentation doesn't mention Chrome or Firefox; for an image in another browser, save it and open it in Preview.
- Check your language and region. Apple says "Live Text isn't available in all regions or languages."
- Check your macOS version. Live Text needs macOS Monterey (12) or later. Paused video came with macOS Ventura (13).
Where Live Text can't help
Live Text works on text inside an image or a paused video frame. Text in any other place on the screen, like an app that won't let you select its labels, a locked PDF viewer, an error dialog or a video call, isn't an image Live Text can open.
The built-in way around it takes a few steps: press ⇧⌘4, drag over the text to save a screenshot, open the screenshot in Preview, select the text and copy it. For video, 9to5Mac suggests importing it into the Photos app and pausing it there.
A faster way: Kirinuki
Kirinuki is a $4.99 Mac app that copies text from anything on screen. Press ⇧⌘2, the screen freezes, drag a box over the text, and it's on your clipboard. It works in any app, on video that keeps playing (the frozen frame is what you select), and on QR codes and barcodes.
| Live Text | Kirinuki | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, built into macOS | $4.99 once, 14-day refund |
| Where it works | Images in Preview, Photos and Safari; paused video in apps that support it | Anything on screen, in any app |
| Text in another app's window | Screenshot, open it in Preview, select, copy | ⇧⌘2, drag |
| Video | Pause it first | The screen freezes; the video keeps playing |
| Code | Not mentioned by Apple | Code Mode keeps indentation and exact spacing |
| Line breaks | Not mentioned by Apple | Keep them or join the lines (⌘L) |
| Images and PDFs | Open them in Preview or Photos | Drop them on the menu bar icon; PDFs up to 200 pages |
| Languages | "Not available in all regions or languages" | 20+ languages, including Japanese, Chinese and Korean, detected automatically |
| Privacy | On your Mac | On your Mac; Kirinuki never sends what you capture |
| Requires | macOS 12 or later | macOS 15 or later |
What about Visual Intelligence in macOS 27?
macOS 27 adds ⌘⇧6 to drag over part of the screen and then ask Siri about it, run a suggested action or search for similar images. It needs Siri AI (Beta) and a Mac with Apple Intelligence (M1 or later). Apple's page about it doesn't mention copying text.
Questions
Why can't I select text in an image on my Mac?
Most often Live Text is off (System Settings › General › Language & Region), Preview is set to draw selections instead of selecting text (Tools › Text Selection), or the image is open in an app that doesn't support Live Text. Apple also notes it isn't available in all regions or languages.
Does Live Text work in Chrome?
Apple's documentation describes Live Text in Preview, Photos and Safari and doesn't mention Chrome. For an image in Chrome, save it and open it in Preview, or press ⇧⌘2 with Kirinuki and drag over it.
Does Live Text work on Intel Macs?
Yes. Live Text came to Intel Macs with macOS Monterey, the version that introduced it on the Mac.
How do I copy text from a video on a Mac?
With Live Text, pause the video in an app that supports it and select the words in the frame. With Kirinuki, press ⇧⌘2 while the video plays: the screen freezes and you drag over the subtitle.
Can I copy text from a screenshot on a Mac?
Yes. Open the screenshot in Preview and select the text with Live Text. Kirinuki skips the screenshot: ⇧⌘2 copies the text of the area you drag over, and it keeps no image.