Search text in screenshots: type a word from the picture

By Roman Resenchuk, October 31, 2026

I search text in screenshots instead of scrolling for them: CloudShots reads the words in every screenshot, so I type one word from the picture and the matching screenshots come up on iPhone and Mac, with the word lit inside the image.

Why I stopped scrolling

I take a lot of screenshots: menus, receipts, recipes, error messages, a Wi-Fi password someone read out. A week later I never remember when I took the one I need. I only remember a word that was in it. Scrolling a grid of thumbnails to find that picture is slow and tiring, and file names like "Screenshot 2026-10-12" tell me nothing.

CloudShots is a screenshot app for iPhone, iPad and Mac that I build in my free time. My name is Roman Res, I have been an iOS and macOS developer since 2011, and this pet project started because I wanted to type the word instead of scrolling.

What the slides show

The carousel follows one search from start to finish.

1. I type "matcha" into the search field. Every screenshot with that word in it comes up, and the word is lit inside the picture, so I see where it sits in the image.
2. The same search works on the Mac, in the CloudShots panel at the edge of the screen. Same library, same word.
3. I open a result and the word is still lit. In the example, it is a cafe menu I photographed once and never labelled.

The takes in the slides are staged, so I make no claim about how fast a search is. What matters is the flow: one word in, the right picture out.

How to search text in screenshots with CloudShots

1. Take screenshots as usual. CloudShots keeps them in one library on your devices.
2. Open the search field in the CloudShots feed on iPhone, or in the panel on your Mac.
3. Type one word you remember from the picture, such as a dish, a name or a number.
4. Look for the lit word in the results and open the screenshot you meant.
5. Refine with a second word if several screenshots share the first one.

There is a full walkthrough in the find text in screenshots guide, and the screenshot history page shows how the library is organised.

Where the reading happens

The text is read on your device. Your library syncs through your own private iCloud, and there are no CloudShots servers holding your screenshots. You can read the details on the privacy page. If you also keep screenshots across devices, sync screenshots between Mac and iPhone explains how the same library shows up on both.

Words that work well

The best search word is the one you remember first. A dish name from a menu, a street from a map, a store from a receipt, a command from a terminal, a name from a chat. Short, distinctive words narrow the results fastest, and a common word such as "the" will match too much to help.

I also use it to clear space: once a word finds a screenshot, I can see at a glance whether I still need it. The free up screenshot space guide covers that side.

What this does not do

Search finds words that are readable in the screenshot. A blurry photo of a sign or handwriting may not come up. When a screenshot has no text at all, you still find it by scrolling the feed, as before.

FAQ

How do I search text in screenshots on iPhone?

Open CloudShots, tap the search field and type a word from the picture. Screenshots containing that word come up, and the word is lit inside each one. CloudShots reads the text on your device.

Does CloudShots search text in screenshots on Mac too?

Yes. The Mac panel has the same search field and the same library as the iPhone, so the word you type finds the same screenshots there.

Do my screenshots leave my devices when CloudShots reads them?

The text is read on your device. Sync uses your own private iCloud, and CloudShots has no servers that store your screenshots.

What if the word I remember is not found?

Try another word from the same picture, or a shorter part of the word. Search matches text that is actually readable in the screenshot, so a very blurry image may not match.

Download on CloudShots.app.

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