Select Text by Simulating a Drag

The recipe#

1. Use Find Mode to move the cursor to the text where the selection starts.
2. Trigger command.toggleDrag to hold the mouse button down.
3. Use Find Mode again, Grid Mode, or Mouse Control Mode to move to the end of the selection.
4. Trigger command.toggleDrag again to release.

Because the button stays down between the two triggers, every movement in step 3 extends the selection. You can switch modes mid-selection: Find Mode to a known word, then Mouse Control Mode to fine-tune the edge.

Where it works#

Viewers, custom UI surfaces, and anywhere normal text editing shortcuts are unavailable. Find Mode reads text with OCR, so it does not need the app to expose anything through the Accessibility API.

Requirements#

Find Mode needs Screen Recording permission and is an Unlocked feature. See Permissions and Plans and Licensing.

If the window content changed since you entered Find Mode, press Command + R to reload the recognized text.

The alternative#

When you want the text rather than a visible selection, Select Text with Element Burst Mode is usually faster and gets it straight to your clipboard.

Next#

• Select Text with Element Burst Mode
• Use Cases index