Screen OCR and QR reader for Mac
Copy the text you can't select
Optic is a menu bar app for Mac that copies the text in any area you drag across the screen and reads QR codes shown on screen, on your Mac without uploading anything, for $4.99 once on the Mac App Store.
Three steps
- 1
Click Optic in the menu bar
Choose Capture Text or Capture QR Code.
- 2
Drag a box
Over the text or code, on any app and any connected display.
- 3
Paste
The text or the code's content is already on your clipboard.
What Optic does
Any area of any screen
Web pages, images, scanned PDFs, paused videos, screen shares, app dialogs, slides. If it is on a display, you can drag a box over it, on every connected screen.
Straight to the clipboard
The recognized text is copied the moment you let go, with a small confirmation. Paste it anywhere with Command-V.
QR codes on screen
Reads QR, Micro QR, Aztec, Data Matrix and PDF417 codes shown on screen. No phone needed. Links open from the history with one click.
21 languages
English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Thai, Vietnamese and more, each switchable in Settings.
Code mode
Keeps each line's indentation and turns off language correction, for code in screenshots, videos and slides.
Clean line breaks
Keep the line breaks, remove them, or smart-merge wrapped lines into paragraphs. Whitespace is trimmed.
History in the menu bar
Your last 20 captures with thumbnails: copy again, open a link, read aloud or delete.
Private by design
Recognition runs on your Mac with Apple's Vision framework. The app has no network access, no account and no analytics.
What it does not do: open image or PDF files, batch-process files, make searchable PDFs, translate, or read 1D barcodes. Everything is listed on the facts page.
Guides
- How to scan a QR code on MacEvery method, ranked: built-ins first, then apps.
- Copy text from anywhere on screenWhat Live Text covers and what to do where it stops.
- Best screen OCR apps for MacDated comparison of TextSniper, TRex, Shottr, CleanShot X and more.
- Optic vs TextSniperWhere each one fits, from each app's own listing.
FAQ
What does Optic do?
Optic is a menu bar app for Mac that copies the text in any area you drag across the screen and reads QR codes shown on screen, on your Mac without uploading anything, for $4.99 once on the Mac App Store.
Can Optic open an image or PDF file?
No. Optic reads what is on screen. Open the image or PDF in Preview (or any app), then drag a box over the part you need.
Does Optic need the internet?
No. Text and QR recognition run on your Mac with Apple's Vision framework, and the app has no network entitlement.
Which barcodes does Optic read?
QR, Micro QR, Aztec, Data Matrix and PDF417 codes shown on screen. It does not read 1D barcodes such as EAN, UPC or Code 128, and it does not use the camera.
What does Optic cost?
$4.99 once on the US Mac App Store (4,99 € in Germany). No subscription and no in-app purchases. It needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Why does Optic ask for Screen Recording permission?
macOS requires it for any app that reads pixels on screen. Optic captures the screen only when you finish a selection and keeps only the area you selected.
By Eduard Bruch, an independent Mac developer in Hamburg.