Copy text from a Grok Bot file viewer without downloading

When a Bot saves a document and you open it in the in-app viewer, the obvious control is Download. Cursor staff (Colin, Sep 3, 2026) confirmed the viewer is Download-only today and passed along a request for a one-click Copy button.

You can still get the text into the clipboard without saving a file to disk, depending on the type.

Highlight and copy plain text

1. Open the file from the Bot chat so the viewer shows the contents.
2. If the file is .md or .txt, click and drag to highlight the text inside the viewer.
3. Copy with Cmd+C (Mac) or Ctrl+C (Windows).

Staff said highlight-and-copy works for those plain-text types. For .docx and .pdf, highlighting in the viewer does not work yet; staff said they are looking into that path.

Ask the Bot to paste into chat

For any type where highlight fails, or when you want the full body in one shot:

1. In the same conversation, ask the Bot to paste the full text into the chat (for example: “paste the full text here too”).
2. Wait for the message that contains the body.
3. Use the Copy action on that chat message.

That keeps the contents on the clipboard without using Download.

Report what you hit

If you want staff to harden Copy for your file type, reply on the forum thread with:

1. The extension (.docx, .pdf, .md, or other).
2. Whether you are on Mac, Windows, or iPhone.
3. The Grok Bot version from Profile → About (or Settings → About).

Pitfalls

• Download still works when you need the original file on disk; this how-to covers clipboard copy only.
• Highlight failure on .docx/.pdf is a known viewer limit today — use the paste-into-chat path.
• Asking the Bot for a summary is a different request; ask for the full text when you need every line.