Translate any part of your screen on a Mac
When a message, a web page or an image is in a language you can’t read, press ⌃⌥S, select it and click Translate. Typeferry lays the translation over the original, paragraph by paragraph, in the same position. Then reply in your own language, in the same chat.
Included in the free plan: 3 online translations a day, then unlimited on-device translation. Typeferry is a Mac app for macOS 15 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel.
How to translate a screenshot on your Mac
Press ⌃⌥S
It works on what you can see on your screen: a chat, a web page, a PDF or a photo. Windows that block screen capture, such as protected video, can’t be read.
Select the text and click Translate
Drag over the part you want to read, adjust the selection if you need to, then click Translate in the toolbar below it. The first time, macOS asks you to allow Screen & System Audio Recording for Typeferry. Typeferry uses it only to capture the area you select, not audio.
Read it in place
Each paragraph is translated and laid over the original in the same position, with no separate window to read. You can copy the translation or the original text.
The same toolbar lets you extract the text, annotate, copy or save the screenshot, or pin it to your desktop.
Made for messages you need to answer
Screenshot translation is most useful when a reply arrives in a language you don’t read: in WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram, an email or a marketplace inbox. Read it where it is, then write back in your own language with the Typeferry bar, which places the translation in the message box when you press Enter. How that works in WhatsApp
For a conversation that keeps going, window translation (Pro) is the next step. Press ⌃⌥F and click the chat window, and messages in other languages are translated in place, including new ones as they arrive.
What it leaves alone
Paragraphs already in your language are not translated. Text that Typeferry can’t read with confidence is left uncovered rather than guessed. Already have a screenshot on your clipboard? Press ⌃⌥S, then press V to translate that image instead.
What stays on your Mac
Typeferry captures only the area you select and recognizes the text on your Mac with Apple’s text recognition. The image is kept in memory only; Typeferry doesn’t save or upload it. With online translation, only the recognized text is sent, up to 3,000 characters per request, with email addresses, links, @handles and #order numbers replaced by placeholders first. With On-device only, none of your text is sent. Privacy Policy
Free and Pro
Free includes up to 3 online screenshot translations a day. After that, screenshots are still translated, on your Mac, with no daily limit; on-device translation uses the translation built into macOS, covers fewer languages and is generally less accurate. Pro removes the daily count on online screenshot translation, within the same character limits as online text translation: up to 300,000 characters a day and 2,000,000 a month. Pro is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year. See pricing
Questions
Does it work offline?
Yes, once the on-device language pack for your language pair is installed. Text recognition always runs on your Mac, and translation can too.
Can it translate text I can’t select, like an image or a scanned PDF?
Yes. Typeferry reads the text from what is shown on your screen, so it doesn’t need text you can select or copy. Windows that block screen capture can’t be read.
Which languages does it translate into?
Typeferry supports 21 languages. Online translation works between any two of them; on-device translation covers all of them except Swedish. Which languages can be read from the screen depends on Apple’s text recognition in your version of macOS. See the full list
How is this different from pasting a screenshot into a translator?
A translator that takes a screenshot usually shows the text in its own window. Typeferry lays the translation over the original, in place, so you don’t switch windows to read it, and then helps you reply in the same chat. How replying works in WhatsApp