TRex

TRex is a macOS menu‑bar utility that captures any visible text on the screen and places the recognized characters directly into the clipboard. Users invoke a capture via the menu bar or a configurable global shortcut, draw a rectangle over the desired region, and the app performs optical character recognition (OCR) locally, returning the text without additional steps. It also reads QR codes and barcodes, and can launch URLs found in the captured content.

The tool targets anyone who needs to extract text from sources that do not allow selection, such as PDFs with embedded images, screenshots, video frames, or shared screens in conferencing apps. Because all processing occurs offline, it works without an internet connection and supports custom language dictionaries and word lists for improved accuracy.

TRex includes a command‑line interface and automation hooks, allowing integration with macOS Shortcuts, custom URL schemes, and third‑party launchers like Alfred and Raycast. Preferences let users hide the menu‑bar icon, adjust shortcuts, and configure post‑capture actions such as opening detected URLs or running predefined shortcuts.