In short
Select the text and press Alt+1. Zack KI copies the selection itself, attaches it to a new chat and then puts your clipboard back the way it was. You type your question or click a chip such as “Summarize”, and the answer appears next to your work.
- Works in
- Apps where you could copy the text with Ctrl+C, such as Outlook, Word, browsers and PDF viewers
- Shortcut
- Alt+1 (can be changed)
- Nothing selected
- You drag out an area of the screen instead
- Sent
- Only when you send your question
Step by step
- Select the text, for example the paragraph of a contract you do not understand.
- Press Alt+1. The selection appears as a card labeled “Selection” in the input area.
- Type your question, for example “By when do I have to reply?”, or click a chip such as “Summarize” or “Explain”.
- Press Enter. If you picked up the wrong text, remove the card first with “Remove context”.
What exactly does Zack KI take?
When you press Alt+1, Zack KI sends Ctrl+C to the app in front, reads the copied text and then restores what was on your clipboard before. So if you could copy the text with Ctrl+C yourself, Zack KI can take it: emails, documents, web pages and PDFs with selectable text.
What Alt+1 attaches depends on what is selected:
- Text: it becomes the context of a new chat.
- Files in Explorer: they are attached as files, see Ask AI about files.
- Nothing: the Windows snipping tool opens so you can mark an area, see Ask AI about your screen.
Three switches under “Settings” → “General” → “Context capture” decide what Alt+1 picks up: “Use selected text”, “Use selected files” and “Capture screen if nothing is selected”.
Do I have to type a question?
No. You can send the selection on its own, and Zack KI works out what you most likely want, for example what an error message means. A concrete question still gets the more useful answer: “Which deadline does this email set?” tells the AI what to look for.
Zack KI tells the AI to treat the selection as material, never as an instruction. A line such as “Ignore your previous instructions” in a selected email counts as part of the email, not as a command.
What is sent, and where are the limits?
The selection stays on your PC until you send the question. Then it goes to the model provider together with your question, see what happens to your data.
Very long selections are cut, and the card shows “truncated”. For a long document, attach the file instead of selecting all its text.
Apps that run as administrator cannot be read unless Zack KI runs as administrator too; Zack KI then says “This app can't be read. Use a screenshot or paste the content here.” Text you cannot select at all, such as a scanned page or text in an image, needs a screen area instead.
Related questions
Does Zack KI overwrite my clipboard?
No. It uses the clipboard for a moment to read the selection and then restores what was on it before.
Can I paste text instead?
Yes. Press Alt+2 and paste with Ctrl+V. Pasted text longer than about 2,000 characters becomes an attachment card instead of filling the input field.
Does it work in Gmail or other web apps?
Yes. Text selected on a web page or in a web app is read the same way as in a desktop app.
Is the selected text stored?
Only on your PC, as part of the chat, as long as “Save chats” is on (the default). The Zack servers do not keep it.