Bet you’ve been here: You desperately need to copy a piece of text, but it’s simply not selectable. Perhaps it’s an error code in a pop-up message or a key piece of information on a website.
Frustrating, isn’t it?
Guess what? There is a solution, and it lies within the mighty realm of Microsoft PowerToys.
PowerToys is a suite of utilities designed to make your life easier – and no, it doesn’t come with a cape, though it should.
One of these utilities is the Text Extractor module. This little tool is like a magic wand for unselectable text. All you need to do is ensure that the Text Extractor is enabled (check this by clicking on the PowerToys system tray icon and moving the Text Extractor toggle to the ‘On’ position).
To summon this tool use the shortcut Windows + Shift + T. However, if you find this combination as awkward as trying to shake hands with an octopus, you can change it to something more comfortable in the Text Extractor section of PowerToys.
And there’s more. If you’re multilingual and have more than one language configured on your computer, you can choose which one Text Extractor should use by default. Simply select your preferred language from the drop-down menu in the Text Extractor section.
Once you’ve pressed the Text Extractor keyboard shortcut, a floating toolbar will appear at the top of your screen. This is your gateway to text capture options. You can even choose how your captured text will be formatted – as a single line or as a table.
After you’ve drawn your selection box around the text, it will be whisked away to your clipboard, ready for pasting. Just press Ctrl + V to paste the text into your desired location – whether that’s a word processor, a messaging app, or even an email to your favourite IT expert (that’s me, in case you were wondering).
So, there you have it – a simple solution to a frustrating problem. Where there’s a will, there’s a way… and if you need help finding any more cool tricks, get in touch.
#MicrosoftPowerToys #TextExtractor #ITTips
https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/how-to-copy-and-paste-uncopiable-text-in-windows-11
