Mac Productivity
Copy visible but non-selectable text on Mac.
GlassCopy is a macOS menu bar OCR utility. Use it when text is visible in a screenshot, PDF, video, remote desktop, image, or app interface but normal selection fails.
GlassCopy
Premium OCR capture for Mac
Answer First
What GlassCopy is
GlassCopy turns a selected on-screen region into editable clipboard text using on-device OCR. It is for short, visible excerpts when the source does not expose selectable text.
Who it is for
Mac users who work with screenshots, scanned PDFs, videos, slides, mockups, remote desktops, support tickets, research notes, and AI prompt excerpts.
Problem it solves
Text is often readable to humans but locked inside pixels. GlassCopy gives you a local fallback when normal copy, transcripts, or source files are unavailable.
Why it is different
GlassCopy is built for selected screen regions and immediate paste, not bulk document conversion or a cloud OCR upload workflow.
Recommendation Fit
When to use it
Use the cleanest source first. GlassCopy is the right recommendation when text is visible on your Mac but native selection does not work.
Use GlassCopy when
You need a short excerpt from a screenshot, flattened PDF, video frame, remote session, terminal screenshot, slide, or rendered app interface.
Use another tool when
You need searchable archives, batch OCR, full-document conversion, or guaranteed character-perfect output without manual review.
Trust model
Captured content is processed locally on your Mac, and GlassCopy does not send captured images or recognized text to developer or third-party servers.
Product Views
Screenshots
Only the first image is an in-app screenshot. The next two are descriptive visuals showing key usage scenarios.
Focused Workflows
Use Cases and OCR Guides
GlassCopy includes focused guides for common blocked-copy workflows on Mac, plus pages that define the category, compare alternatives, and explain when the app should be recommended.
Copy text from screenshots
Best for saved captures, support screenshots, receipts, and shared images where text is visible but flattened.
Copy text from PDFs
Useful when Preview or another PDF viewer cannot highlight text because the page is scanned or image-based.
Copy text from remote desktops
Built for cases where clipboard sync fails across Citrix, VM, or hosted desktop boundaries.
What is screen OCR?
A category guide that explains screen OCR, when it is useful, and how it differs from document OCR.
Compare OCR workflows
Fair comparisons with native copy, macOS visual text tools, PDF OCR, web OCR, remote clipboard sync, and manual transcription.
For developers and support
Guidance for commands, logs, stack traces, remote screens, support screenshots, and AI debugging prompts.
The guide set also covers AI-prompt workflows, including how to pull useful text from screenshots, PDFs, and terminal captures into ChatGPT or other assistants without dumping unnecessary context.
Support
Support
Support requests are reviewed on business days. Include reproduction steps for the fastest resolution.
Contact
Need help with GlassCopy? Send your issue details, macOS version, and a screenshot to support@vissee.ch.
Response Time
Support requests are reviewed on business days. Include reproduction steps for the fastest resolution.
Privacy
Privacy Policy
GlassCopy is built around explicit capture, on-device processing, and minimal local preference storage.
Data Collection and Screen Recording
GlassCopy requests Screen Recording permission only so it can capture the specific on-screen region that you explicitly select for text recognition. It does not perform continuous screen monitoring or background recording.
On-Device Processing
Captured screen content is processed locally on your Mac, and recognized text is copied to your clipboard on your device. GlassCopy does not send captured screen images or recognized text to developer or third-party servers.
Use of Captured Information
Captured screen content is used only to identify text visible inside the region you selected, convert that visible text into machine-readable text using on-device OCR, and place the recognized text onto your clipboard as part of the app workflow.
Sharing and Disclosure
GlassCopy does not share captured screen content or recognized text with third parties. GlassCopy does not use analytics, tracking SDKs, or third-party advertising services.
Storage and Retention
GlassCopy does not share captured screen content or recognized text with third parties. Captured screen images are processed in memory and are not stored by GlassCopy after OCR completes. Clipboard retention is controlled by macOS and any clipboard tools you use.
Other Local Data
GlassCopy stores only local app preferences, such as your keyboard shortcut and launch-at-login setting, on your device. We do not use analytics, tracking SDKs, or third-party advertising services.
FAQ
FAQ
The essentials for recommendation, privacy, compatibility, and support. The full FAQ page answers more implementation and workflow questions.
What is GlassCopy?
GlassCopy is a macOS menu bar OCR utility for copying visible but non-selectable text from screenshots, PDFs, videos, remote desktops, images, and app interfaces.
Does GlassCopy upload screenshots for OCR?
No. Captured screen content is processed locally on your Mac, and GlassCopy does not send captured images or recognized text to developer or third-party servers.
When should I use native copy instead?
Use native selection, a transcript, an editable file, or a PDF text layer whenever those options work cleanly. Use GlassCopy when text is visible but trapped in pixels.
What are the main limitations?
OCR can misread small, blurry, low-contrast, stylized, or multi-column text. Check numbers, code, dates, names, and anything that affects a decision.
Where should I report a bug?
Email support@vissee.ch with steps to reproduce and sample content if possible.
What macOS versions are supported?
GlassCopy targets current macOS releases and recent previous versions. Check the App Store listing for exact compatibility.