Troubleshooting Unpixel

Most problems with Unpixel come down to a handful of causes, and the message it shows at the top of the screen usually names the one you’ve hit. Start with three quick checks, then jump to the matching section.

Three quick checks

1. Is Unpixel running? Look for its icon, a small U with a selection window behind it, in the menu bar. If it isn’t there, open Unpixel from Applications. In macOS Tahoe, also check that Unpixel is switched on under Allow in the Menu Bar in System Settings → Menu Bar. On a MacBook, a crowded menu bar can hide icons behind the camera notch.
2. Does a capture work without the shortcut? Click the icon, then Copy Text at the top of the panel. If that works, the problem is the shortcut.
3. What did the message say? Failures such as “No text found” always show a message, even with confirmations turned off. Successful captures only show one while Show confirmation after capture is on in Settings → General, so turn it on while you troubleshoot.

The shortcut does nothing

• It was changed or cleared. Open Settings → General. If the Capture shortcut field says Record Shortcut, it’s empty. Record ⇧⌘2 again, or click the curved arrow to reset it.
• Another app owns it. An orange ⚠︎ in the field explains the conflict. Launchers, clipboard managers and screenshot tools often claim combinations, and a combination can only belong to one app. Change one of them; Change or clear the capture shortcut shows how.
• Unpixel isn’t activated. Instead of the crosshair, you see “Activate Unpixel to start copying text” and the license screen opens. See Activate your license.
• It fails only while one app is in front. That app may be catching the combination itself. Start the capture from the menu bar icon, and choose a different shortcut if it keeps happening.
• ⇧⌘1 says “No previous selection”. That’s Capture Again, which needs one ordinary capture first. Read the same area again explains its messages.

Keyboard shortcut not working on Mac covers shortcut problems in general.

Every capture says “No text found”

If even large, clear text comes back empty, macOS is probably handing Unpixel a picture of the desktop wallpaper without your windows on it. That happens when Screen Recording permission is on but hasn’t taken effect.

1. Right-click the Unpixel icon and choose Quit Unpixel, then open it again from Applications.
2. Still empty? Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording and check that Unpixel is switched on.
3. Still empty? Select Unpixel in that list, remove it with −, add it again with + and reopen Unpixel.

A Screen Recording needed message means the switch is off. Allow Screen Recording for Unpixel has every step.

One capture finds no text

When the problem is a single capture, the message says “No text found” with “Try selecting a larger or sharper area.”

• Leave a margin. A selection that clips the tops of letters reads poorly. Include a little space around the text.
• Make it bigger. Zoom in on the source, with ⌘+ in most apps, and capture again. More pixels give better results.
• Use Accurate mode. In Settings → Recognition, set Recognition mode to Accurate, which is best for small, faded or low-contrast text.
• Check the language. If Detect language automatically is off, the chosen language may not match the text. Turn it back on.
• Handwriting: neat handwriting often works; messy writing, faint pencil and tight cursive often don’t.
• A code in the selection: if a QR code or barcode is inside the rectangle, Unpixel copies the code’s contents instead of the words. Leave the code out.

Recognition mode and language correction explains the settings.

The text comes out wrong

• Line breaks: lines kept as on screen, or joined into paragraphs, depending on Keep line breaks. See Keep or join line breaks.
• A table you wanted as plain text: right-click it in history and choose Copy as Text, or turn off Detect tables. See Tables.
• Codes, IDs and names “corrected” into words: turn off Language correction in Settings → Recognition.

Video shows up black

Streaming services that protect their video usually block screen capture at the macOS level, so the frame comes out black for every screenshot tool. To check, take a regular screenshot of the same frame with ⇧⌘4: if it comes out black, Unpixel sees black too. Turn on subtitles and capture those from an unprotected source, or look for a transcript. Ordinary web video, video calls and your own files aren’t affected. Why screenshots of videos are black on Mac explains the cause.

The clipboard didn’t change

If you start a new capture before a slow one finishes, such as a long PDF, the older result doesn’t overwrite the newer one. It’s kept in history with the message Saved to History; click it in the panel to copy it. With history off, the message is “Not copied” instead.

If you held ⇧ to add a capture and saw Couldn’t add to the clipboard, macOS didn’t let Unpixel read the text another app had copied. Allow Unpixel under Paste from Other Apps in System Settings → Privacy & Security; the capture itself is in history. Collecting passages on the clipboard has the details.

A translation didn’t happen

Links, QR codes and barcodes are never translated. With automatic translation on, short snippets and code stay as they are. See Translate text while you capture.

License messages

Banners such as Verify your license, License no longer valid or Couldn’t read your license each have their own fix. License activation errors explained goes through them one by one.

What to send support

If none of this helps, use Email Support in Settings → License and include:

• your Mac model and macOS version, from Apple menu → About This Mac;
• the Unpixel version, from Settings → About;
• the exact message you saw, and what you were capturing.