Feature · OCR search
Find any screenshot by the words inside it.
Apple’s Live Text lets you select and copy text in the image you are looking at, and Photos search can find words in pictures across your library. Pizazoo is built for screenshots: it reads every one as it arrives, keeps the text with its category, tags and notes, and searches all of it from one box, including screenshots saved as files on a Mac.
TL;DR: Pizazoo reads the text in every screenshot it imports with Apple’s on-device Vision text recognition, on Mac, iPhone and iPad, and makes it searchable: type any word you remember and the screenshot appears. It is free, detects each screenshot’s language automatically, uploads nothing, and on iPhone and iPad the text is searchable from Spotlight too.
What it does
- AIOn-device OCR with Apple Vision: every imported screenshot is read automatically, and nothing is uploaded
- Automatic language detection: each screenshot is read in its own language, not only your system language
- One search box: matches the recognized text plus titles, notes, tags, keywords and file names
- Search filters: combine words with cat:, date: and fav: (tag: works with Pro tags)
- Read and copy: the full text sits in the screenshot’s details, and Live Text selection works in the viewer
- iPhone and iPad: screenshot text is searchable from Spotlight, and Siri can open a Pizazoo search
- Mac: search from the library toolbar or from the menu bar
- Free on Mac, iPhone and iPad; Pro adds saved searches
Perfect for
- Finding an error message you screenshotted weeks ago by typing part of it
- Pulling up a receipt or order confirmation by its order number or store name
- Finding a chat screenshot by a phrase you remember
- Locating a booking reference or confirmation code before a trip
- Copying an address or code snippet out of a screenshot instead of retyping it
- Searching screenshots from CleanShot X, Shottr or Xnapper alongside your macOS screenshots
Common questions
FAQ
What is the best screenshot OCR app for Mac and iPhone?
It depends on the job. To copy text from one screenshot, Live Text is already built in: Preview, Quick Look and Photos on a Mac, and Photos on iPhone and iPad. For a one-off without installing anything, our free Image to Text tool runs in your browser. If you want every screenshot read automatically and searchable months later, you need an organizer with OCR. Pizazoo does that for free, on device, on Mac, iPhone and iPad (we make Pizazoo).
How do I search for text inside my screenshots?
In Pizazoo, type any word you remember into the search field: the Browse tab on iPhone and iPad, or the toolbar or menu bar on a Mac. Results match the text read from each screenshot, plus its title, notes, tags and file name. Add cat:receipts or date:week to narrow the results. On iPhone and iPad you can also search from Spotlight, or say "Search Pizazoo" to Siri, which opens the app on your search.
How is this different from Live Text in Photos?
Live Text reads the image you are viewing so you can select, copy or translate its text, and Photos search can find pictures that contain a word. Both are free and useful. Pizazoo keeps a separate index for screenshots only, with categories, tags, notes and filters such as cat:receipts on top of the text. On a Mac it also covers screenshots saved as files (on the Desktop by default), which are not in Photos unless you import them.
Is the screenshot OCR free, and does it work offline?
Yes to both. Text recognition and search are part of the free tier on Mac and in the free iPhone and iPad app. Recognition uses Apple’s Vision framework on your device, so it needs no connection and no account, and no screenshot or text is sent to a server. Pro (one-time, no subscription) adds tags, saved searches, unlimited custom categories and iCloud Sync, which goes through your own private iCloud.
Which languages can Pizazoo read in screenshots?
Pizazoo turns on automatic language detection, so each screenshot is read in the language it is written in rather than only your system language. The supported languages are Apple’s and depend on your OS version. On macOS 27 they include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Thai and Vietnamese alongside English and the major European languages.
Can I copy the text out of a screenshot?
Yes. The full recognized text appears in the screenshot’s details ("Extracted Text" on a Mac, "Text in Image" on iPhone and iPad), where you can select and copy it. You can also select text directly in the image with Live Text while you view it.
Try it on your own screenshots.
Pizazoo is free on Mac, iPhone and iPad. Import your screenshots and search or browse them in minutes.