Making selected text or items accessible so that applications like Raycast can interact with them

Parallels is great, but I miss one thing that can make the experience even greater. It's probably a simple feature (well, I assume), but it can make a significant difference.

I can't get selected text from the VM to the Mac. If that is possible, I would be able to use software like Raycast seamlessly with both the Mac and the Windows VM. It will also be beneficial for others to access selected text from Parallels to the outside of the VM (Mac). I am not talking about copy and paste. I am talking about when we select text on Parallels, we should be able to get the selected text through the macOS API.

Here's the simple integration that Raycast does. Both getSelectedText and getSelectedFinderItems are good to have outside of Parallels. developers.raycast.com/api-reference/environment#getselectedtext.

It's actually not just about Raycast. It's about making selected text or items accessible so that applications like Raycast can interact with them, just as Raycast does with selected text or items from Mac apps.

 

I'm really glad you brought this up, because I've been wondering the exact same thing. Parallels already does a great job at blurring the line between macOS and Windows, but the lack of access to selected text from the VM feels like a missing puzzle piece. Like you said, it's not about basic copy-paste it's about letting macOS tools see and react to what's selected inside the VM, the same way they do with native Mac apps.

I also use productivity tools like Raycast, and having access to selected text or items from Parallels would be a huge workflow upgrade. It would open the door for automations, quick actions, and deeper integrations that just aren't possible right now. I'm curious if this is a technical limitation or simply a feature that hasn't been prioritized yet -- either way, I'd love to hear if there's a roadmap or workaround for this.