Which files does it read?

Screenshots, photos and other images, and PDFs, including scanned ones.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Recognition uses Apple’s Vision framework on your Mac, so it works without a connection and nothing is uploaded.

Can it find a photo by what it shows, not just its text?

Yes, with Search photos by what’s in them turned on in Settings › Library. Photos are labelled on your Mac in the background.

How is it different from Live Text?

Live Text works in the one image you have open. Here every image is already read, so you can search across all of them and copy text from many at once.

Peekaboo · Text in images

Search and copy the text inside your images

Live Text copies the words from one image you already have open. Peekaboo reads all of them in the background, so you can find a screenshot by what it says and copy text from fifty files in one go.

Download free trial14 days free · macOS 14+ · Updated November 3, 2026

What it does

Every image, already read: Screenshots, photos and PDFs are read by Apple Vision on your Mac as they arrive, at low priority, and paused on battery saver or when the Mac is hot.
Find it by the words: “screenshot with tracking number” combines the kind of file with the text inside it. Add a date or a source and it narrows further.
Copy in bulk: Select any number of images in Text in Images and copy all their text at once, ready to paste into a note or a spreadsheet.
Nothing leaves the Mac: Text is read on this Mac. Nothing is uploaded, and there’s no account or AI service involved.

How to use it

1Search for what you remember, like “screenshots with wifi password”.⌘F
2Or open Text in Images and select the files you need.
3Copy all their text in one go.⇧⌘C

When another app fits better

Peekaboo doesn’t capture the screen: to grab text from whatever is on screen right now, [TextSniper](/alternatives/textsniper/) or [CleanShot X](/alternatives/cleanshot-x/) do it in one shortcut. To turn paper into searchable PDFs or Word files, use a scanner app such as Prizmo.

Questions

Which files does it read?: Screenshots, photos and other images, and PDFs, including scanned ones.
Does it work offline?: Yes. Recognition uses Apple’s Vision framework on your Mac, so it works without a connection and nothing is uploaded.
Can it find a photo by what it shows, not just its text?: Yes, with Search photos by what’s in them turned on in Settings › Library. Photos are labelled on your Mac in the background.
How is it different from Live Text?: Live Text works in the one image you have open. Here every image is already read, so you can search across all of them and copy text from many at once.