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How to use OCR on your Mac

Turn screenshots, photos, scans, and PDFs into text without uploading the document to an online OCR service. Start with fast Apple Vision OCR, then use OwlOCR Pro for complete documents, batch workflows, local OCR AI, and command-line automation.

Download OwlOCR freeCompare Core and Pro

OwlOCR Core handles single-page OCR for free. Pro unlocks OCR All, batch tools, optional OCR AI, the CLI, and longer multi-screenshot workflows.

Choose a workflow

Start with what you need to read

OwlOCR uses the same document workspace for images and PDFs, while screenshots, Finder actions, and the CLI provide faster paths for repeat tasks.

01

Capture text from the screen →

Select a screen region and turn text that cannot be selected into copyable text.

02

Recognize images and photos →

Open an image, choose the OCR engine, and copy or export the result.

03

Make scanned PDFs searchable →

Recognize one page or a complete document and preserve its original appearance.

04

Run OCR from Finder →

Use three Quick Actions without first opening the main OwlOCR window.

05

Use local OCR AI →

Try a second on-device engine for noisy scans, dense layouts, and difficult text.

06

Process multiple pages →

Run OCR All across multipage PDFs and groups of supported files with Pro.

07

Automate OCR with the CLI →

Send files, stdin, or a screenshot through OwlOCR from scripts and the terminal.

First run

Get useful text in three steps

The default Apple Vision engine is the quickest place to begin and needs no model download.

  1. STEP 1

    Add something to recognize

    Drag in an image or PDF, use Open, paste a supported item, import a photo from a nearby Apple device, or start a screen capture.

  2. STEP 2

    Run OCR on the page

    Use text recognition on the current page. In Settings, select the Apple Vision languages and recognition options that match the document.

  3. STEP 3

    Copy, edit, or export

    Copy the recognized text, correct it in OwlOCR, or export a searchable PDF that keeps the source page visible with a selectable text layer.

Screenshot OCR

Capture text that you cannot select

Use a screenshot when text is trapped inside a video, presentation, remote desktop, game, scanned document, or app interface. Start Single Screen Capture from OwlOCR's toolbar, menu bar menu, or configurable keyboard shortcut, then drag over the region you want to read.

macOS asks for Screen Recording permission before an app can see other windows. If a capture only shows the wallpaper, allow OwlOCR in the Screen Recording section of Privacy & Security, then try again. Pro users can also run a sequence of captures; three or more captures require Pro.

For examples and screenshot-specific questions, read the screenshot OCR for Mac guide or the shorter screen capture walkthrough.

Images and photos

Extract text from an image on Mac

Drag a supported image into the OwlOCR window or choose it with Open. The image becomes a page in the document workspace, where you can run OCR, inspect recognized regions, edit text, and copy the finished result.

Apple Vision is the best default for clear photos and screenshots because it is fast, supports the languages exposed by your version of macOS, and returns text boxes. For a phone photo or fresh paper scan, you can also use Apple's Continuity import from OwlOCR when a compatible nearby device is available.

See the focused image-to-text guide or check language and recognition settings if the document uses more than one language.

Scanned PDF OCR

Turn a scanned PDF into a searchable PDF

Open or drop the PDF into OwlOCR. Core can recognize the current page, which is useful when you only need one receipt, form, or page from a larger file. With Pro, choose OCR All to recognize every unfinished page in the open documents.

Export the result as a searchable PDF. OwlOCR preserves each original page as the visible document and adds a text layer so you can search, select, and copy words in Preview and other PDF readers.

Continue with the complete PDF OCR for Mac guide or learn how the searchable PDF Finder workflow works.

Finder Quick Actions

Run repeat OCR tasks directly from Finder

Select one or more supported images or PDFs in Finder, control-click, then open the Quick Actions menu. OwlOCR installs three focused actions:

  • Extract Text recognizes the selection and copies the text to the clipboard.
  • Create Text File returns recognized text as a plain-text file.
  • Create Searchable PDF adds a selectable OCR layer to the selected material.

The extensions use Apple Vision and the compatible OCR settings shared by the main app. They do not run the optional OCR AI engine. If the actions do not appear, enable the OwlOCR Finder extensions in macOS Extensions settings.

Local OCR AI

Try a second local engine for difficult pages

Apple Vision should remain your first choice for most pages. Use OCR AI with Pro when a screenshot is noisy, a scan is degraded, or a dense or unusual layout needs another interpretation. Download and manage the model and runtime from OwlOCR Settings, then choose OCR AI as the recognition engine.

OCR AI runs on your Mac after its model is installed and returns plain page text. It does not provide Apple Vision's native text boxes; for searchable PDF export, OwlOCR uses a separate Apple Vision layout pass to position the recognized text. Neither OwlOCR engine sends the source document to an online OCR service.

Read the OCR AI troubleshooting notes before changing advanced model, GPU, CPU, context, or batching settings.

Batch and multipage OCR

Recognize every page in a document set

Open several supported files together to create a document set, or open a single multipage PDF. OwlOCR may recognize the first page automatically; use the current page control for one-off work or OCR All with Pro to process every unfinished page.

Watch the page count and progress estimate while recognition runs. Large jobs can be paused after the active page finishes or cancelled. When the pages are ready, export searchable PDFs or copy the recognized text you need.

Multi-screenshot capture is another Pro batch path: take a sequence of screen regions and collect the results without restarting the capture command each time.

Text cleanup

Apply repeatable post-processing rules

OCR can preserve unwanted line breaks or repeatedly misread the same characters. OwlOCR's post-processing settings let Pro users build ordered find-and-replace rules and apply basic cleanup to recognized text. Keep each rule narrow, compare it against the source, and move more specific replacements above general ones.

For practical examples, see improving OCR with post-processing and the guide to OCR line-spacing cleanup.

OwlOCR Pro CLI

Automate Mac OCR from Terminal and scripts

The CLI requires OwlOCR Pro. Open Settings → CLI to find the packaged executable path and copy examples for your edition. It can capture a screen region, recognize an image or PDF, select Apple Vision languages, use local OCR AI, print text or Markdown, and export a searchable PDF.

owlocr --screenshot
owlocr --input image.jpg --language en-US,fr-FR
owlocr --input scan.pdf --output searchable.pdf --silent
owlocr --ocr-ai --markdown --input scan.pdf > scan.md

Those examples use owlocr as shorthand for the executable path shown in Settings. The direct-download edition accepts ordinary file paths. Because the Mac App Store edition is sandboxed, pipe file data through --input - and use --output - with shell redirection for searchable PDF output.

See the dedicated OwlOCR command-line guide for more automation ideas.

Keep text local

Start with free OCR on your Mac

Download OwlOCR Core for single-page Apple Vision OCR, then upgrade only when you need full-document processing, batch tools, OCR AI, or the CLI.

Download OwlOCR freeSee what Core includes