How to Search Text Inside Screenshots on iPhone and Mac
By Roman Resenchuk,
To search text in screenshots on iPhone or Mac, type one word into CloudShots. CloudShots is a screenshot app for iPhone, iPad and Mac that reads the words inside every screenshot, so "matcha" finds the cafe menu I never named or filed. I build it on weekends.
I made this because my own screenshot history is a mess. Receipts, boarding passes, recipes, chat threads, a menu I wanted to remember. Every one is called something like "Screenshot 2026-10-12 at 14.03.51", and the only way to find one is to scroll. Below is how the search works, how to use it on both devices, and what it does and does not do.
What it means to search inside a screenshot
A screenshot is a picture, so Photos and Finder only know its date. CloudShots runs text recognition on every screenshot it imports and keeps the result in a search index on your device. When you type a word, it looks through that text, through the objects recognized in the image, and through the name of the screenshot.
A few things I rely on every day:
- Several words work in any order. "menu kumo" finds the same cafe menu as "kumo menu".
- A word you mistype can still land, because a word of four or more letters that finds nothing exact is matched against close spellings.
- Dates work in plain words, so "last week" narrows results to the previous calendar week.
- The match is marked inside the picture, so you see where "matcha" sits on the menu instead of guessing.
How to search text in screenshots, step by step
- Install CloudShots on your iPhone and give it Full Access to Photos when it asks. That lets it see your Screenshots album. Limited access hides that album, so the app asks you to switch.
- Let it import. The Screenshots album is read in the background, and each new screenshot is added as you take it.
- On the Mac, open CloudShots and choose the folder it should watch. Your Desktop is preselected. New captures from the app land in the same history.
- On the iPhone, open the Search tab and type a word. On the Mac, press Command Shift 2 to slide the panel in and type into the search field at the top. Esc clears the search first, and a further press closes the panel.
- Open a result. Matches are highlighted in the picture, and links, codes and addresses in the text can be tapped to copy or open.
If you also want the history on both devices, the Mac and iPhone sync guide explains how screenshots travel through your own iCloud. The full text search guide covers the search field in more detail.
Why I search on the Mac and on the iPhone
I take most screenshots on my phone and use them at my desk. A boarding pass or a tracking number is on the iPhone, but I need it in a mail on the Mac. Because both devices share one history, the word I type on either one finds the same screenshot. That is the moment in the video: the same "matcha" on the phone, then on the Mac, and the cafe menu is there both times with its link.
If your Mac and iPhone share iCloud, there is nothing extra to set up. The sync happens through the private iCloud database of your own account.
What stays on your device
The text recognition runs on your device with Apple's Vision framework. The recognized text, tags and names are stored with your screenshots and synced only through your private iCloud, never through a CloudShots server, because there is none that holds your screenshots. I do collect crash and usage diagnostics, and you can turn them off in the app. Diagnostics never include a screenshot or the text in it.
On devices with Apple Intelligence, CloudShots also gives each screenshot a readable name and a short summary, written on the device. Those names are searchable too. Without Apple Intelligence the search still works on the recognized text and objects.
Free and Pro
Search is free. Free keeps your whole library synced and searchable, and it opens the newest 30 screenshots. Older ones stay yours and open when you upgrade to Pro; see Pro for the details and prices. The download page has CloudShots for iPhone and Mac.
FAQ
How do I search text in screenshots on iPhone without extra apps?
Yes. Install CloudShots, give it Full Access to Photos, and type into the Search tab. It looks only at your screenshots and shows where the match sits in the image.
Does it work on the Mac too?
Yes. The CloudShots Mac app has a panel on the edge of your screen with a search field. Command Shift 2 is the default shortcut, and you can record a different one in Settings.
Is my screenshot text sent to a server?
No. Recognition runs on your device, and the results sync only through your private iCloud. CloudShots has no servers that store your screenshots.
What if the word I type is slightly wrong?
If an exact search finds nothing, a word of four or more letters is matched against similar spellings, so a typo can still find the screenshot.
Do I need Pro to search?
No. Search covers your whole library on the Free plan. Free opens the newest 30 screenshots; Pro opens all of them.
Transcript
So I just type matcha and there's the cafe menu. Link and all. Download on CloudShots.app.
More guides
- How to automatically sync screenshots between Mac, iPhone and iPadOne private screenshot history that syncs both ways through iCloud: Mac to iPhone and iPad, and back.
- How to find a screenshot by the text inside itSearch by the words you remember seeing, on any of your devices.
- How to free up the space your screenshots takeClear synced originals from Photos and your Mac without losing your history.
- CloudShots is an iCloud screenshot manager for Mac, iPhone and iPadWhat lives in your own iCloud, how the library limit works, and what stays private.
- One screenshot history for your Mac, iPhone and iPadOne searchable history of every screenshot from your Mac, iPhone and iPad, synced through your own iCloud. Find any shot and free up storage.
- How to pin a screenshot on screen on MacKeep a screenshot floating above your other windows on Mac with ⌘P. Pin up to 6, move and resize them, close with Esc.
- How to redact or blur text and faces in a screenshot on MacBlur, pixelate or cover text, faces and objects in a screenshot on Mac. Redaction in CloudShots is non-destructive: your original stays untouched.
- How to add a background, padding and shadow to a screenshot on MacExport a Mac screenshot with a background, padding, rounded corners and a shadow using Export with Frame in CloudShots. Copy, save or share the result.
- All guides
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