Open TranslateWindow and grant the permissions it requests. Return to your webpage or document, select the passage you need, and press Command+E.
Command+E is the default shortcut. If you have changed it, use your own combination. Select a word to see dictionary definitions, or open results from other services when a sentence is unclear.
Read the result beside the original
Compare the translation with the selected sentence, then close the window and continue reading.
Selectable text in a PDF works the same way. Include nearby sentences in your selection if they help explain the passage. TranslateWindow does not automatically read the rest of the PDF.
Select the text you need
- Select a complete sentence when grammar or tone affects the meaning.
- Select a short phrase when you are checking terminology inside a familiar paragraph.
- Add nearby context or choose a specialized scene for an ambiguous technical, legal, or business expression.
- Click Compare in the result window if you want to check another service’s wording.
When selection is not available
If you cannot select the text in an image, scan, or app, press Command+J and choose screenshot translation. For text that keeps changing in the same area, choose live-window translation.
TranslateWindow places selection, screenshot, clipboard, manual input, and live-window modes in one command panel so changing input method does not require changing products.
Choose local or cloud processing intentionally
A downloaded local model translates on your Mac. Google and DeepSeek are also built in, and you can add your own API key to use more models.
Online services receive the text you translate. Choose the local model when the content needs to stay on your Mac.
Make translation part of reading
Download TranslateWindow for macOS and try it on the next sentence that would normally send you to another tab.