Unpixel does one job: it turns text you can see into text you can paste, on your Mac. Some things sit outside that job, and a few are blocked by macOS itself. Here they are, each with the closest workaround.
Unpixel reads text only from what’s visible on your Mac’s screen, the clipboard or a file. It can’t read DRM-protected video, capture a scrolling page in one go, create searchable PDFs, import from an iPhone camera, read text aloud, or sync between Macs. It runs only on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 26, and messy handwriting often fails.
Protected video and protected windows
Unpixel can’t read DRM-protected video. Many streaming services in Safari or the TV app block screen capture, and macOS shows those frames as black to every screenshot tool. Some apps protect their own windows the same way, as Apple’s screenshot guide notes.
- Check first: take a regular screenshot with ⇧⌘4. If it comes out black, there’s nothing for any tool to read.
- Workaround: turn on subtitles where you can read them elsewhere, or look for a transcript or a script.
Ordinary web video, video calls, lecture recordings and your own video files aren’t affected.
No scrolling capture
A capture reads only what’s visible in the rectangle on one display. Unpixel has no scrolling capture that stitches a long page together.
- Capture in parts. Scroll, capture, paste, repeat. Each part is also kept in history.
- Print to PDF. In apps that can print, choose File → Print, then PDF → Save as PDF. Open that PDF with Open Image… and Unpixel reads up to 50 pages in one capture.
No searchable PDFs or file export
Unpixel puts text on your clipboard and in its history. It doesn’t create searchable PDFs, add a text layer to a scan, or export files. To make a scanned PDF searchable, you need a PDF app with its own OCR feature. Unpixel can still read the text out of the scan with Open Image…. What is a searchable PDF? explains the difference.
No camera import or reading aloud
Unpixel doesn’t import photos from an iPhone camera. Get the photo onto your Mac first. Continuity Camera can put one straight on your desktop: Control-click the desktop, choose Insert from iPhone or iPad and then the photo option, take the picture on your iPhone and tap Use Photo. The photo appears on the desktop as a file. Then open the file with Open Image… or drop it on the panel. Continuity Camera on Mac covers the setup.
Unpixel doesn’t read text aloud either. macOS can: turn on Speak selection in System Settings → Accessibility → Read & Speak, select the pasted text and press the keyboard shortcut set there. Text to speech on Mac covers the other ways.
Mac only, no sync, no AI features
- Requirements: a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 Tahoe or later. There’s no version for Windows, iPhone, iPad or Android. See system requirements.
- History stays on each Mac. Unpixel has no account and no sync, so captures on one Mac don’t appear on another.
- No AI summaries or chat. It recognizes text with Apple’s on-device Vision framework and leaves rewriting to you.
- English interface. Menus and settings are in English; recognition covers about 30 languages.
Handwriting, languages and page limits
- Handwriting: neat handwriting often works. Messy writing, faint pencil and tight cursive often don’t.
- Languages: about 30, the ones Apple’s Vision framework reads on macOS 26. Text in other languages may be read poorly, especially in a script none of them use. See Recognition languages and automatic detection.
- Pages: Open Image… and From Clipboard read up to 50 pages per capture. With a longer PDF, the confirmation tells you how many pages were read (“Read the first 50 pages.”). For the rest, print just those pages to a new PDF: choose File → Print, set a page range, then PDF → Save as PDF, and open the new file.
- Accuracy: recognition is never perfect. Check amounts, codes and legal wording before you rely on them.
Only when you select
Every screen capture starts with a selection you draw. Capture Again (⇧⌘1) reuses your last one, but only once per press, and there’s no link or script command for it. Unpixel doesn’t capture on a schedule, watch part of the screen, or save screenshots automatically. Even a unpixel://capture link from a launcher only shows the crosshair.
Buying
Unpixel isn’t on the Mac App Store and has no subscription. It’s a one-time purchase with no trial, backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee. Licenses and pricing has the details.
Frequently asked questions
Will these limits change?
This page describes Unpixel as it is today. New features are listed in the changelog when they ship; nothing here is a promise of a future feature.
Can I try Unpixel before buying to see if these limits matter?
There’s no free trial, but every purchase has a 14-day money-back guarantee. If Unpixel can’t do what you need, ask for a refund within 14 days.
