Capture Multiple Screen Regions at Once with Windows Hotkey

The standard OCR workflow on Windows: Win+Shift+S → capture one field → OCR → copy → repeat. Ten times for an invoice. Then paste into Excel and realize you lost track of which text came from where.

CaptureOCR replaces that loop with one hotkey: Ctrl+Shift+X. Drag all regions first, then batch recognize, export once.

The Hotkey: `Ctrl+Shift+X`

Press it → screen dims → crosshair appears. Drag around region 1 → ① appears. Drag region 2 → ②. Region 3 → ③. Up to 10+ regions in one session.

Each region shows in the region drawer (side panel):

Thumbnail preview
Number badge (①②③…)
Status: pending / recognizing / done / error

Why Not `Win+Shift+S`?

`Win+Shift+S` (Snipping Tool)	`Ctrl+Shift+X` (CaptureOCR)
One region per capture	10+ regions per session
Text Actions = single text blob	Structured Markdown/CSV export
No numbering	Auto-numbered ①②③
No coordinates	Screen coordinates (x,y,w,h)
No confidence scores	Per-line confidence (0.00–1.00)
Copy → paste → repeat	Batch capture → batch OCR → single export

The Region Drawer: Your Control Center

Before recognizing, manage in the drawer:

Reorder: Drag thumbnails → numbers update visually (stable IDs preserved internally)
Delete: Right-click → remove (won’t affect other regions)
Undo: Ctrl+Z restores last deleted region
Rename: Not needed — numbers are display-only; stable IDs handle identity

Hotkey Customization

Don’t like Ctrl+Shift+X? Change it in Settings → Hotkey. Options:

Ctrl+Shift+X (default)
Ctrl+Shift+S
Alt+Shift+X
Any valid combo

The hotkey uses Win32 RegisterHotKey — not a low-level keyboard hook. Cleaner, no security software conflicts.

Real Workflow: Invoice in 45 Seconds

Scenario: Extract 7 fields from a vendor invoice

Ctrl+Shift+X → drag 7 regions (invoice #, date, vendor, line items, subtotal, tax, total)
Auto-numbered ①②③④⑤⑥⑦
Click “Recognize All” (or enable auto-OCR for instant)
Export CSV → open in Excel → every row labeled with region index and coordinates

Old way: 7 screenshots, 7 OCR runs, 7 copy-pastes, manual Excel entry = ~3 minutes
CaptureOCR way: 1 session, 1 batch OCR, 1 export = ~45 seconds

Hotkey Conflicts? Here’s the Fix

If Ctrl+Shift+X conflicts with your IDE:

Settings → Hotkey
Pick an alternative
Or disable the conflicting app’s hotkey

Common conflicts:

VS Code: Ctrl+Shift+X = Extensions panel → change CaptureOCR to Ctrl+Shift+S
Some terminals: Ctrl+Shift+X = custom binding → use Alt+Shift+X

Multi-Monitor & DPI: It Just Works

The hotkey captures on whichever monitor your cursor is on. Selection overlay works in Qt logical coordinates; capture works in physical pixels. On 125%/150% displays or mixed-DPI multi-monitor setups, coordinates are DPI-independent physical pixels.

Each monitor has a ScreenInfo with logical rect, physical rect, and device pixel ratio. When you drag a selection, the controller converts logical → physical for that monitor, grabs exact region.

Batch OCR After Capture

Two modes:

Auto-OCR (Settings → ON): Each region recognizes immediately after capture
Manual batch: Capture all → click “Recognize All” → processes sequentially

Progress UI: “Recognizing ③ of ⑦…” with per-region progress.

Export: All Regions, One File

One click → Markdown / CSV / TXT / .snipx session package. All regions in one file.

CSV includes for every row:

Region display index (1, 2, 3…)
Screen coordinates (x, y, w, h) — physical pixels
Line index within region
Confidence (0.0000–1.0000)
Text
OCR mode (fast/accurate)
Processing time
Model hash (reproducibility)

Power User Tips

Enable auto-copy: Settings → Output → Copy after export → Markdown/CSV goes straight to clipboard
Pre-capture all, then recognize: Avoids “wait, did I capture that field?” moments
Use display order for export: Drawer order = export row order (stable IDs handle identity)
Session package for handoff: Send .snipx to colleague → they continue exactly where you left off

The One Hotkey to Rule Them All

Ctrl+Shift+X → capture everything → done.

No more Win+Shift+S → copy → paste → repeat loops. One session, structured export, done.

Get CaptureOCR ($2.99 one-time, no subscription) and reclaim your workflow.

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