How to translate text on a Mac, including text in screenshots
Macs have translation built in. There's no separate Translate app as on the iPhone, but you can translate selected text from the right-click menu in most apps.
Updated
Translate selected text
- Select the text in Safari, Mail, Notes, Pages or most other apps.
- Right-click it and choose Translate “…”.
- Pick the language in the panel. Copy Translation puts the result on your clipboard.
Translate text in an image
In Preview or Photos, Live Text lets you select the words in an image like ordinary text. Select them, right-click and choose Translate.
Translate something you copied, with Maclip
The built-in option needs the text in front of you. Maclip keeps what you've copied, so you can translate a message from earlier, or the text in a screenshot, without finding it again. Select a text clip in the dashboard and choose Translate; for a screenshot, choose Translate Extracted Text.
- It uses Apple's translation, which runs on your Mac. The first time you use a language, macOS may ask to download it.
- Copy Translation in the panel copies the result, ready to paste.
- It needs macOS 14.4 or later. See translating clips.
Questions
Does Mac have a built-in translator?
Yes. Select text in most apps, right-click and choose Translate. There's no standalone Translate app on the Mac, but the same translation works across apps, and Live Text extends it to text in images.
How do I translate a screenshot on a Mac?
Open it in Preview, select the text in the image with Live Text, then right-click and choose Translate. With Maclip, copy the screenshot and choose Translate Extracted Text on the clip.