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Batch OCR Screenshots on Mac: What Works

By Eduard Bruch, developer of Optic · Updated

There is no single right answer: for a handful of screenshots, reading them one at a time is quick enough, and for dozens or hundreds you want an app built for batch OCR. Optic has no batch mode, so this guide tells you where it helps and where another app is the better choice.

Short answer: for five or ten screenshots, open them one after another and copy the text you need from each. My pick for that is Optic, a menu bar app that copies the text in any area you drag across the screen ($4.99, a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store). For a folder of images processed in one go, use an app whose listing states batch OCR (see below).

Disclosure: I build Optic.

Be clear about the job first

"Batch OCR" can mean two different things:

  • A few screenshots, some of the text. You took a dozen screenshots during research and want a price here, an error code there. You are choosing what to copy.
  • Many files, all of the text. You have a folder of 200 scans and want every word, ideally as text files or searchable PDFs, without touching each one.

The first is a screen OCR job. The second is a batch document OCR job, and the tools are different.

A handful of screenshots: one at a time with Optic

Optic does not open files and does not process folders. It reads what is visible on screen. For a small set of screenshots, that is still a quick routine:

  1. Open the first screenshot in Preview or Quick Look. (In Finder, select several and press Space; Quick Look lets you step through them with the arrow keys.)
  2. Click the Optic icon in the menu bar and choose Capture Text.
  3. Drag a box over the text you need.
  4. Paste with Command-V into your notes, or move on to the next image and capture again.

Each capture also lands in Optic's history in the menu bar popover. The history keeps the last 20 captures, each with a small thumbnail and the time, and lets you copy any of them again. So you can capture from ten screenshots in a row and paste them into your document afterwards, as long as you stay within those 20.

The upside of this approach is selection. You copy just the price from a pricing table or just the error line from a log, instead of every word in the image.

Before you install anything, also try Live Text: it works where Apple supports it, which includes images in Preview, Photos, Quick Look and Safari. It does not work on arbitrary app windows, video calls or UI text. For a few clean screenshots, selecting text in Quick Look may be all you need.

Many files at once: apps that list batch OCR

If you really need to process a stack of images or PDFs in one run, use an app made for that. These three state batch OCR on their own App Store pages:

  • OwlOCR. Its Pro tier lists "batch OCR for multipage PDFs and multiple documents" (App Store listing, checked 2026-10-10).
  • Textify. It lists "Batch convert to searchable PDF directly from the Finder" (App Store listing, checked 2026-10-10).
  • EasyScreenOCR. Its Pro tier lists batch processing for more than 5 images (App Store listing, checked 2026-10-10).

I have not tested these myself for this article; read each listing for current details, limits and price before you buy.

Where Optic does not fit

  • No batch mode. One drag, one capture.
  • No folder processing and no file import. Images and PDFs must be on screen first.
  • No searchable PDFs and no whole-document OCR.
  • No table extraction. Tables come out as lines of text.
  • History holds 20 captures. Older ones drop off, so for larger jobs paste as you go.

If your job is the second kind from the list above, Optic is the wrong tool, and one of the batch apps is a better fit. For an overview of the screen OCR side, see screen OCR apps for Mac. If the screenshots are receipt photos, OCR receipts on Mac shows how to copy just the totals and dates, and Mac screenshot to text covers getting the words out of a single capture.

How we checked

I read the Mac App Store listings of OwlOCR, Textify and EasyScreenOCR on 2026-10-10 and quote only what they state about batch OCR; I did not test those apps. Optic facts come from its code and store listing (all Optic facts), and I build and use Optic myself.

FAQ

Can I OCR multiple screenshots at once on Mac?

Not with Optic, which reads one selected area at a time. Apps such as OwlOCR, Textify and EasyScreenOCR state batch OCR on their App Store listings.

What is the quickest way to get text from ten screenshots?

Open them in Quick Look, step through them, and copy the text you need from each, with Live Text or a screen OCR app like Optic. Optic's history keeps your last 20 captures for pasting later.

Does Optic create searchable PDFs?

No. It copies recognized text to the clipboard. For searchable PDFs, use a document OCR app.

Is screenshot OCR done on my Mac or in the cloud?

With Optic it runs on the Mac; the app has no network access. For other apps, check their listing.

Get Optic on the Mac App Store · All Optic facts. Optic needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later. See also extract text from a screenshot on Mac.