Live Text is a powerful feature built into macOS that recognises text within images, videos, and live camera feeds. Instead of manually retyping information from a scanned document, a photograph of a whiteboard, or a screenshot of a presentation, you can interact with the text exactly as if it were typed in a standard document.
This allows you to select, copy, paste, translate, and even search for information directly from visual media across the operating system.
Requirements
Live Text is processed entirely on-device to protect your privacy. Because of this, it requires specific hardware and software:
- macOS Monterey (12.0) or later. (macOS Ventura or later is required for extracting text from paused video).
- A Mac with an Apple Silicon chip (M1, M2, M3, etc.) or an Intel-based Mac from 2018 or newer.
How to Enable Live Text
Live Text is usually enabled by default on compatible Macs, but if it isn’t working, check your System Settings:
- Open the Apple Menu () and select System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions).
- Navigate to General > Language & Region.
- Scroll down to the bottom and ensure the toggle next to Live Text is turned On.
How to Use Live Text in Images
Live Text is integrated into several native Apple applications, including Photos, Preview, Quick Look, and Safari. It works automatically without needing to invoke a special mode.
- Open an image containing text (for example, double-click a screenshot to open it in Preview, or view a photo in the Photos app).
- Hover your mouse cursor over the text in the image. You will notice the standard arrow cursor changes to the text selection cursor (the “I-beam”).
- Click and drag to highlight the text, exactly as you would in a Word document or on a website.
- Once highlighted, press Command + C (or right-click and choose Copy).
- You can now paste (Command + V) the extracted text into any other application, such as Notes, Messages, or a text editor.
Note: If you are having trouble selecting text in Safari, right-click the image and look for a “Show Text” option, or simply click and drag.
How to Use Live Text in Videos
If you are watching a tutorial or a recorded lecture in a supported app (like Safari or QuickTime Player), you can copy code snippets or notes directly from the video frame.
- Play the video and pause it on the frame showing the text you want.
- Hover your cursor over the text in the paused video player.
- Click and drag to select the text.
- Copy and paste it wherever you need.
Interacting with Data (Phone Numbers, Emails, Links)
Live Text is not just for copying paragraphs; it intelligently recognises actionable data formats. If an image contains a phone number, an email address, or a website URL, macOS makes it interactive.
- Hover over the data in the image.
- A subtle outline may appear around the recognised text, and a small action button will appear in the bottom-right corner of the image.
- Clicking the action button (or right-clicking the text directly) provides contextual options:
- Phone numbers: Options to call via FaceTime, send a Message, or add to Contacts.
- Email addresses: Opens a new compose window in your default mail app.
- Websites: Opens the link directly in Safari.
Translating Text from Images
Live Text integrates seamlessly with Apple’s system-wide translation feature, making it incredibly useful for translating foreign menus or signs from photographs.
- Select the text within the image using the click-and-drag method.
- Right-click the highlighted text.
- Select Translate [Text] from the context menu.
- A pop-up window will appear displaying the translation. You can play the pronunciation audio or copy the translated text directly from this window.
Limitations
While Live Text is highly accurate, its performance depends heavily on image quality. Blurry photos, heavily stylised fonts, or text with low contrast against the background may result in incorrect transcriptions or failed recognition. Always quickly proofread extracted text, especially when dealing with critical information like URLs or numerical data.