# Image text and OCR > Search screenshots by the words inside them and copy text from images locally with Kopit OCR and Live Text workflows. - Updated: July 6, 2026 - Reading time: 4 min read - Audience: Users who collect screenshots of docs, receipts, code, chats, or UI errors. ## Summary Kopit helps turn screenshots from static pictures into searchable, selectable work references. ## Key takeaways - OCR runs on-device. - Search can match recognized text. - You can select and copy text from images. ### Recognize text locally Kopit uses on-device recognition so screenshot text can become useful without uploading the image. ### Find images by words Search for a phrase that appears inside a screenshot and Kopit can surface the matching image item. ### Copy instead of retyping Use Live Text workflows to select words from images and put them back into your work. ### A realistic workflow Use this feature inside a real working loop: capture or copy the material, inspect it before sharing, then decide whether it should remain temporary history, become a reusable Snippet, or stay visible as a desktop pin. The important part is that the content remains close to the paste action, so you do not leave the current app just to rebuild context. - Start from the smallest useful capture or copy. - Preview before pasting into public channels or customer-facing replies. - Promote only repeatable material into long-lived saved content. ### Settings to decide first Before relying on the feature every day, decide its shortcut, privacy boundary, and retention behavior. A keyboard-first tool is only fast when the shortcut is memorable, and a local-first tool is only trustworthy when noisy or sensitive sources are excluded deliberately. - Pick shortcuts that do not conflict with your editor, browser, or design tools. - Exclude apps that should not feed the feature. - Keep cleanup rules aligned with the sensitivity of the material you handle. ### Common mistakes The common failure mode is over-collecting. A productivity feature should reduce repeated work, not create another place to manage. If a result will never be reused, paste or save it and move on. If it will be reused, name it, organize it, or pin it intentionally. - Do not keep every temporary artifact forever. - Do not skip review when content may contain private details. - Do not add configuration before the repeated need is proven. ### How to know it is working The feature is paying for itself when it shortens a repeated loop. You should notice fewer trips back to the browser, Finder, chat, design file, or terminal. You should also feel safer because the content has a visible preview and a clear local privacy model. - The same task takes fewer app switches. - You can explain or paste the result without recreating it. - The feature feels invisible during normal work and available when needed. ### Turn it into a stable routine To make the workflow stick, define a small operating rule before the tool becomes busy: what may be captured, which apps must be excluded, which results deserve to become reusable Snippets, and which artifacts should remain temporary. That keeps Kopit close to copying, finding, pasting, and explaining instead of turning it into another inbox. In team settings, standardize names and privacy handling: blur customer data before sharing screenshots, give Snippets titles that explain when to use them, and keep recordings as short as the explanation allows. - Review frequent searches weekly and promote proven repetition into Snippets or categories. - Treat customer, finance, password, and admin tools as the first exclusion candidates. - Preview visual material before sharing so private windows or irrelevant context do not leak. ### Quality checklist Before using the result in real work, run a short quality check: is the content accurate, does it preserve enough context, did you remove irrelevant windows or private details, and can the recipient understand it without asking a follow-up question? Fast copying is only the first step. For docs, support, review, and product communication, the copied result must reduce misunderstanding. Kopit's preview, search, annotation, pins, and Snippets should serve that goal rather than collection for its own sake. - Can you confirm the item is correct without reopening the source app? - Have privacy, formatting, and context been checked before sharing? - Can a similar future task reuse this through search or Snippets? ### When not to use it It also helps to know when not to use it. One-time passwords, customer keys, unredacted contracts, medical details, and financial records should not become long-lived history just because capture is convenient. Material that needs collaboration, version review, or formal archiving should not live only in a clipboard tool. Kopit is for working memory and reusable copied assets near the paste action; when content becomes a knowledge base, contract, coding standard, or official record, move it into the proper system. - Exclude highly sensitive sources before cleanup becomes necessary. - Use documents or project systems for approval and version history. - Do not rely on clipboard history as the only home for long-term knowledge. ### How to compare alternatives When comparing tools, avoid counting features in isolation. Launchers such as Raycast are strong when you want many system actions in one command surface. Dedicated screenshot tools such as CleanShot X go deeper on visual capture. Text expansion products focus on reusable writing. Lightweight clipboard managers such as Maccy keep history simple. Kopit's tradeoff is to keep clipboard history, Snippets, capture, recording, OCR, and desktop pins in one local-first, keyboard-first workflow. The best choice is not the strongest single-purpose tool; it is the tool that removes the most daily switching and repeated retrieval. - Use a launcher when command execution is the center of the workflow. - Use a dedicated capture app when professional screenshot production is the whole job. - Use Kopit when copying, capturing, reusing, and explaining often happen together. ### Competitor-informed positioning The competitor lesson is not to copy keywords; it is to copy the explanatory discipline. Raycast's clipboard documentation emphasizes actions, filters, and keyboard entry points. Paste frames history, search, Pinboards, and device access as a continuous reuse loop. CleanShot X, Shottr, and Snagit explain capture through the next step: annotation, scrolling capture, OCR, recording, and sharing. TextExpander teaches snippet naming, documentation, fill-ins, and team consistency. Maccy proves that speed and focus can be a product position by itself. Kopit's content should use those patterns: every feature needs entry points, scenarios, settings, privacy boundaries, troubleshooting clues, and tradeoffs against alternatives, not just a list of supported formats. - Borrow Raycast's action-and-shortcut clarity while positioning Kopit as a local clipboard workbench. - Borrow Paste's organization and reuse narrative while differentiating with local-first and one-time purchase framing. - Borrow CleanShot, Shottr, and Snagit capture workflows while tying results back to clipboard history and desktop pins. - Borrow TextExpander's snippet discipline while keeping Kopit's broader copied-asset model. ### Maintenance rhythm Keep a light maintenance rhythm: spend a few minutes each week removing obvious junk, checking whether new sensitive sources should be excluded, promoting repeated material into Snippets, and deleting temporary categories. The content library should improve with real work instead of getting heavier every month. - Remove junk history while keeping recent material that may be reused. - Turn repeated searches into Snippets, categories, or clearer names. - Exclude noisy sources at the origin instead of deleting the same clutter repeatedly. ## FAQ ### Which languages are targeted? Kopit is designed around English and Chinese recognition for common work screenshots. ### Is OCR cloud based? No. The product direction is local-first OCR. ### Should I configure everything on day one? No. Start with the default workflow, then add shortcuts, exclusions, and categories when a repeated need becomes obvious. ### Where should long-term knowledge live? Use Kopit for working memory and reusable copied assets. Use documentation or notes for long-lived knowledge that needs structure and collaboration. --- Canonical page: https://kopit.app/es/docs/image-text-ocr This Markdown version is provided for AI agents and LLM tools.