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amebalabs/TRex

A macOS menu bar app that captures text from any area of the screen via OCR and copies it straight to the clipboard, working offline.

Open-source alternative to:CleanShot XText Sniper

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What is it?

TRex is a macOS menu bar app for extracting text from anything visible on screen. You trigger a capture from the menu bar or a global shortcut, select an area just as you would for a screenshot, and the recognized text lands in your clipboard. It is useful for text that cannot be selected, such as PDFs, web pages, images, or video frames shared on a call.

Beyond plain text recognition, TRex also reads QR codes and barcodes, and it can detect and open URLs found in captured text. Recognition language and a custom words list are configurable. All features run offline without an internet connection. The app has no UI beyond the menu bar item and preferences.

Automation is supported through a CLI tool, URL schemes such as trex://capture, and Shortcuts.app actions. Official integrations are provided for Alfred and Raycast. It runs on macOS Big Sur (11.0) and later, and can be installed from the App Store, GitHub Releases, or Homebrew.

Key features

  • 01Offline OCR text recognition on any selected screen area
  • 02Reads QR codes and barcodes
  • 03Configurable global shortcuts and recognition language
  • 04Custom words list to improve recognition
  • 05CLI tool and trex:// URL scheme for automation
  • 06Shortcuts.app actions and official Alfred and Raycast integrations

Use cases

  • Copying text from PDFs or web pages where selection is disabled
  • Grabbing text from screenshots or images without retyping
  • Pulling text from video or screen-shared content during calls
  • Scanning QR codes or barcodes on screen into the clipboard

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install via Homebrew

    brew install --cask trex
  2. 2

    Or download the app from GitHub Releases

Things to know

  • macOS only, requires Big Sur (11.0) or later.
  • The App Store version is paid.

Topics

#ocr#macos#text-recognition#screenshot#clipboard#menu-bar#swift#productivity#textrecognition#tools

FAQ

What is TRex?
A macOS menu bar app that captures text from any area of the screen via OCR and copies it straight to the clipboard, working offline. TRex is a macOS menu bar app for extracting text from anything visible on screen. You trigger a capture from the menu bar or a global shortcut, select an area just as you would for a screenshot, and the recognized text lands in your clipboard. It is useful for text that cannot be selected, such as PDFs, web pages, images, or video frames shared on a call.
Is TRex free to use? What license does it have?
TRex is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is TRex still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to TRex was on Sep 29, 2026.
What can I use TRex for?
Copying text from PDFs or web pages where selection is disabled Grabbing text from screenshots or images without retyping Pulling text from video or screen-shared content during calls Scanning QR codes or barcodes on screen into the clipboard
How do I install TRex?
Install via Homebrew: brew install --cask trex Or download the app from GitHub Releases
Where can I get TRex?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/amebalabs/TRex

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