# ChatGPT desktop app adds Appshots feature to read off-screen text

Digest AI · Agents & Tools · published 2026-09-25T18:30:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/chatgpt-desktop-app-adds-appshots-feature-to-read-off-screen-text

## Summary

ChatGPT’s desktop application now includes a feature called Appshots that captures both a visual snapshot and the hidden text of the active window. By pressing a single hotkey—left and right Command keys on macOS or left and right Alt keys on Windows—users can send the full extracted content to ChatGPT without manually taking, saving, and attaching screenshots.

The tool is positioned for scenarios like an HR manager reviewing a long policy document, allowing a prompt such as “What does this policy say about remote work eligibility?” to be answered from the entire document, even text that was scrolled out of view. Mint’s “AI tool of the week” highlights the feature, and the article notes that Jaspreet Bindra and Anuj Magazine are co‑founders of AI&Beyond.

Appshots is available now in the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS and Windows, requiring no additional setup for each use.

## Key points

- Appshots captures a visual snapshot and hidden text from the active window with one hotkey in the ChatGPT desktop app.
- The feature works on macOS (Command keys) and Windows (Alt keys) and is available now for ChatGPT desktop users.
- It lets users ask ChatGPT about content beyond the visible screen, improving workflow for documents like policies.

## Why it matters

By extracting off-screen text, Appshots reduces manual screenshot steps and enables more accurate AI answers, boosting productivity for professionals handling long documents.

## Sources

1. [AI Tool of the Week: this ChatGPT feature can read beyond what’s visible on your screen](https://livemint.com/ai/chatgpt-appshots-chatgpt-desktop-app-ai-tools-ai-productivity-11790211887302.html) (livemint.com, 2026-09-25)

Part of the developing story: [ChatGPT Images 2.5 Feature Rollout Saga](https://digestai.news/thread/chatgpt-images-2-5-lets-users-edit-visuals-by-pointing-and-sketching) (3 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "ChatGPT desktop app adds Appshots feature to read off-screen text", 25 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/chatgpt-desktop-app-adds-appshots-feature-to-read-off-screen-text

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