# How to Use Apple Intelligence to Edit Screenshots on Mac LazyScreenshots publishes a public search API over its indexed pages; the guide is at https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/agent-access. Source: https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/blog/apple-intelligence-edit-screenshot-mac/ Source observed: 2026-10-08T01:32:20.451Z Last checked: 2026-10-08T01:32:20.451+00:00 Indexed: 2026-10-08T01:36:24.998+00:00 --- # How to Use Apple Intelligence to Edit Screenshots on Mac **May 14, 2026 · LazyScreenshots Team** We explain how Apple Intelligence features work with Mac screenshots, including Clean Up, Writing Tools, image descriptions, Visual Look Up, and Siri. We also describe their limits and when our dedicated screenshot workflow is a better fit. ## What you need - **Chip:** Apple M1 or later; Intel Macs do not support Apple Intelligence. - **macOS:** Sequoia 15.1 or later, including macOS Tahoe. - **Storage:** At least 4 GB of free space for the AI models. - **Language:** Siri and device language set to a supported language. - **Setting:** **System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Apple Intelligence** enabled. ## Clean Up: remove unwanted objects Clean Up uses generative AI to remove objects and fill the background. ### How to use Clean Up 1. Open the screenshot in **Photos** by double-clicking it or dragging it into Photos. 2. Click **Edit** or press **Cmd+Return**. 3. Click **Clean Up** in the editing toolbar; its icon looks like an eraser. 4. Click an automatically highlighted object, or brush/circle over another object. 5. Wait while the tool processes and fills the area. 6. Click **Done** to save. Clean Up is useful for desktop icons, Dock notification badges, captured mouse pointers, isolated toolbar elements, profile pictures or avatars, and small wallpaper watermarks. It struggles with large sidebars or panels, text areas, repeating table/list/grid patterns, and high-contrast borders, shadows, or dividers. Removing text can leave blurry or garbled characters, while larger UI removals can leave visible artifacts. For heavy redaction or large removals, crop the screenshot or cover the area with a solid rectangle instead. We let you redact, annotate, and beautify screenshots in one step without importing them into Photos first: [Try LazyScreenshots Free](https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/). ## Writing Tools: work with screenshot text Writing Tools can act on text recognized through Live Text (OCR) in **Preview** and **Quick Look**. 1. Open the screenshot in Preview, or select it in Finder and press **Space** for Quick Look. 2. Hover over text. If Live Text recognizes it, the cursor becomes a text-selection cursor. 3. Select the text. 4. Right-click and choose **Writing Tools**. 5. Choose **Proofread**, **Rewrite**, **Friendly**, **Professional**, **Concise**, or **Summary**. You can summarize an error message, adjust the tone of a draft message, or proofread marketing or interface text. Writing Tools works on extracted text, not the image: the rewritten text appears in a copyable popover and does not modify the screenshot. ## Image descriptions Apple Intelligence can generate basic natural-language descriptions for screenshots. In Photos: 1. Open the screenshot. 2. Click the **Info** button or press **Cmd+I**. 3. Look for **Description** in the info panel. 4. If no description exists, a text field may let you request one. Descriptions generally capture layout rather than specific content. For example, a code-editor screenshot might be described as a code editor showing Python code with a file sidebar. Use the result as a starting point for edited alt text in documentation or blog posts. ## Visual Look Up Visual Look Up can identify recognizable objects, landmarks, plants, animals, UI icons, logos, and real-world content in images. 1. Open the screenshot in Photos. 2. If something recognizable is detected, look for a sparkle icon on the Info button. 3. Click Info to see recognized objects and contextual information. It is most useful when a screenshot contains real-world imagery, such as a product photo on a webpage. Pure UI screenshots containing menus or code rarely produce useful results. ## Siri With Apple Intelligence, Siri can answer questions about an on-screen screenshot, such as: - “What does this screenshot show?” - “Summarize the text in this image” - “Read the error message in this screenshot” This works best with Type to Siri: double-tap **Cmd** to activate it, then point Siri to the screenshot. ## Limitations | Feature | Works well on screenshots? | Notes | |---|---|---| | Clean Up (remove objects) | Sometimes | Good for small objects; poor for UI regions | | Writing Tools | Yes | Depends on Live Text recognizing the text | | Image descriptions | Basic | Describes layout, not specific content | | Visual Look Up | Rarely | Mainly useful for real-world objects in captures | | Siri understanding | Moderate | Can read text and describe layouts | Clean Up requires importing the screenshot into Photos, and Writing Tools requires a compatible app. These features are not available directly from the Screenshot app or floating thumbnail preview. ## When to use a dedicated screenshot tool Use a dedicated tool when you need: - **Sensitive-information redaction:** Solid rectangle overlays are preferable because AI removal might leave traces. - **Annotations:** Arrows, numbered steps, text callouts, and highlights. - **Batch editing:** Apple Intelligence processes one image at a time; for dozens of images, use Automator, Shortcuts, or a dedicated tool. - **Professional formatting:** Backgrounds, device frames, rounded corners, and consistent sizing. - **Speed:** Frequent screenshot work is faster when annotation and beautification happen in one step. ## Quick reference | Task | Tool | Where to find it | |---|---|---| | Remove an object | Clean Up | Photos > Edit > Clean Up | | Summarize screenshot text | Writing Tools | Select text > Right-click > Writing Tools | | Generate alt text | Image Description | Photos > Info panel | | Identify objects | Visual Look Up | Photos > Info button (sparkle icon) | | Ask about screenshot content | Siri | Double-tap Cmd, then ask | ## Related guides - [How to Edit Screenshots on Mac (Preview, Markup & More)](https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/blog/edit-screenshot-mac-preview-markup/) - [How to Hide Sensitive Information in Screenshots on Mac](https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/blog/hide-sensitive-info-screenshots-mac/) - [How to Copy Text from Screenshots on Mac: OCR Methods](https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/blog/copy-text-from-screenshot-mac-ocr/) - [How to Make Screenshots Accessible: Alt Text & Best Practices](https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/blog/screenshot-accessibility-alt-text/) ## LazyScreenshots We provide screenshot capture and editing features for Mac. 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