Mac Selected Text Actions with OnText
OnText turns selected text on Mac into an action surface. Select text, press the OnText hotkey, then run the next action without hunting through menus or switching into another utility.
The default flow is simple: select text, press F2, then click an action or press its assigned shortcut.
What You Can Do With Selected Text
OnText includes common actions out of the box:
- Search the selected text.
- Copy it to the clipboard.
- Translate it.
- Count characters.
- Show it in Large Type.
For custom workflows, you can create actions that open URLs, run shell scripts, run AppleScript, trigger macOS Shortcuts, or send the text to Inline AI.
Example: Search With a URL Action
Create a URL action with this template:
https://www.google.com/search?q={text}
When you trigger the action, OnText URL-encodes the selected text and opens the search in your default browser.
Example: Rewrite With Inline AI
Select a paragraph, open OnText, then use Inline AI with a prompt such as:
Rewrite this in a concise professional tone.
Use Command-R to replace the original selection with the response, or Command-C to smart copy the result.
When This Workflow Fits
Selected text actions work best when you repeat the same small operations many times a day:
- Searching terms while reading.
- Translating snippets while researching.
- Formatting text while writing.
- Sending text into scripts, Shortcuts, notes, or AI prompts.
Start with First Steps, then move to Custom Actions when you want your own actions.