QR codes, barcodes and links

Links in captures: detection and Open Link

When a capture is one web address, Unpixel copies it as a link and files it under Links in history. What counts as a link, what doesn’t, and how to open one.

By , maker of Unpixel · · 3 min read

Title card: Links in captures: detection and Open Link

Unpixel notices when what you captured is a web address. Instead of copying it as plain words, it copies it as a link and files it under Links in your history, where you can open it with one click. This page explains when that happens and when it doesn’t.

Quick answer

Drag a tight box around one web address. When the whole capture is a single address, such as figma.com/design/4hX2, Unpixel copies it as a link, the confirmation says Link copied, and it’s filed under Links in your history. Hover over the row and click the arrow (Open Link) to open it. Sentences that merely contain a link are copied as ordinary text.

A capture becomes a link when the whole recognized text is one address. All of these count:

  • a full address: https://example.com/pricing
  • an address without https://: www.example.com or figma.com/design/4hX2
  • a local address: an IP address with a port or a path, such as 192.168.1.10:8080, or localhost with a path, such as localhost:3000/api
  • an app link with its own scheme, such as slack:// or otpauth://
  • a long address that wrapped onto the next line on screen, when the break clearly falls inside the address (a label or word under a link stays separate)

Brackets, quotes and trailing punctuation around the address are dropped, so “(github.com/apple/swift),” is copied as github.com/apple/swift.

The confirmation says Link copied and shows the address. Your clipboard gets the address as you saw it, and also as a link for apps that accept links, with https:// added when it was missing (http:// for a local address).

These are copied as ordinary text and filed under Text:

  • A sentence that contains a link. Drag only over the address to get the link on its own.
  • Two or more addresses in one selection.
  • Email addresses, phone numbers and file paths.
  • Names that only look like addresses, such as Xcode.app, readme.md or user.name in code.
  • Local addresses that could be something else: a bare IP address such as 192.168.1.1, which may be a version number, localhost:3000 without a path, and subnets such as 10.0.0.0/24.

Click the Unpixel icon in the menu bar and click Links above the history list. The number next to it counts your link captures. Link rows show the address in blue, with the app it came from and when, for example “Keynote · 4 min ago”.

The Links filter and a link row in Unpixel’s history
Link rows show the address in blue. The arrow at the end of the row opens it.

Combine the filter with the search field to find one address, for instance by typing part of a domain.

  • Hover over a link row and click the arrow at its right end.
  • Or right-click the row and choose Open Link.

The panel closes and the address opens in your default browser. Links to apps, such as slack:// or otpauth:// addresses, open in the app that handles them. Clicking anywhere else on the row copies the address again, and Share… in the same menu shares it as a link.

A QR code that holds a web address is filed under QR Codes, not Links, but its row shows the address in blue and offers Open Link in the same way. If one capture holds a QR link and another code, such as a barcode, Open Link opens just the link. For QR codes, Unpixel can also open web links as soon as you capture them; see QR codes, barcodes and opening QR links.

Check the address before you open it

Open Link opens exactly the address Unpixel read, and text recognition can mistake look-alike shapes, such as rn for m or l for 1. When the address came from a small, blurry or compressed source, like a video frame or a shared screen, compare the domain in the row with the original before you open it. If a character is wrong, paste the address into your browser’s address bar and correct it there instead of using Open Link.

Frequently asked questions

Why was my email address copied as text and not as a link?

Email addresses, phone numbers and file paths are never treated as links, even when written as mailto:, tel: or file:// addresses. They’re copied as plain text and filed under Text, so the Links filter only holds addresses you can open.

Does Unpixel ever open a captured link by itself?

Not a link read from text. The only automatic opening is the optional Open QR links automatically setting, and it applies to QR codes holding one web link.