Free, open-source screen OCR and translation for Windows, Linux and macOS. Capture text from apps, images and games, translate selected text, or follow changing text in one or more screen regions.
English · Русский · 简体中文 · Español · Français
| System | Download | Choose this for |
|---|---|---|
| Windows x64 | Installer (.exe) | A regular installation on Windows 10/11, x64. |
| Windows x64 | Portable ZIP | Running without installation; extract the entire archive. |
| Linux x86_64 | AppImage | A single-file application for Linux x86_64; make it executable before opening. |
| Mac — Apple Silicon | DMG (M1+) | Installing on Apple Silicon (M1 and newer), macOS 13.4 or later. |
| Mac — Intel | DMG (Intel) | Installing on an Intel Mac (x86_64), macOS 13.4 or later. |
All downloads and the signature/checksum archive.
Windows and macOS builds currently use a self-signed certificate named jabrailkhalil. Windows may show a SmartScreen warning; the Mac app has no Apple Developer ID or notarization, so Gatekeeper may block its first launch. Linux downloads have separate OpenPGP signatures. Choose Apple Silicon for M1 and newer chips, or Intel for Intel Macs.
First launch: Windows: SmartScreen and Defender · Mac: opening the app and granting permissions.
Updates: Windows uses the Update button in the app. On macOS and Linux, download the new DMG/AppImage and replace the application manually; keep your existing user data. Update checks and limitations.
- Screen OCR, selected-text translation, full-screen overlays and dynamic translation of multiple regions.
- Online translation and local OCR; optional offline translation with downloaded language models.
- Document translation, configurable shortcuts and a desktop companion.
- Light and dark themes, six interface languages, and separate window preferences for each mode.
- 1.8.0: a shared welcome screen, clearer language menus, improved dynamic overlays, Mac permission guidance and thin scrollbars throughout the app.
The document workspace opens .txt, .md, .docx, .pdf, .html, .htm and .rtf files. You can edit the original and translation side by side, or hide the original for a smaller translation window. Settings import/export and optional local histories are available in Settings.
Prefer clicking to remembering hotkeys? Click the mascot to open its action menu: translate an area or the full screen, recognize and copy text, open the translator, start Dynamic translation, or translate a document. You can hide the mascot when you do not need it.
| Light theme | Dark theme |
|---|---|
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Select one or more screen regions and choose your languages. Translation follows changes in the selected text, with output over the original or in a separate region.
Setup example: the purple frame marks the area to read; the green frame marks a separate area for the translation.
| Default hotkey | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl + Alt + C |
Extract text from an area and copy it |
Ctrl + Alt + T |
Capture an area, recognize the text, and translate it |
Ctrl + Alt + F |
Translate the entire screen |
Ctrl + Alt + Q |
Translate selected text with the language pair from the main window |
Ctrl + Shift + Q |
Replace selected text with its translation |
Ctrl + Shift + Space |
Show or hide Click'n'Translate |
Ctrl + Alt + G |
Start or stop Dynamic translation for selected screen areas |
Every shortcut can be changed or cleared in Settings → Configure hotkeys. Your chosen language pair is remembered separately for OCR, selected text, replacement, full-screen, and Dynamic translation.
The table shows Windows defaults. On macOS, use Command in place of Ctrl and Option in place of Alt. On Linux, bind the corresponding commands in your desktop’s shortcut settings: Linux guide.
| Layer | Available engines | Connection | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online translation | Google, MyMemory, Lingva, LibreTranslate | Internet required | Fast everyday translation without model downloads |
| Offline translation | Argos Translate, Hy-MT | Offline after installation | Private translation and unreliable connections |
| OCR | Windows OCR / Apple Vision, Tesseract, RapidOCR, EasyOCR | Local after installation | Different scripts, fonts, layouts, and image quality |
Open Settings → Language packages to install or remove OCR engines, recognition languages and offline translation models. Only the packages you choose are downloaded; installed offline engines work without an internet connection. Native OCR uses Windows OCR on Windows or Apple Vision on macOS. Online provider availability depends on the service.
- Download the file for your system and open the app. The Python runtime is included.
- Choose your OCR engine, translation provider and languages in Settings. Download language models if you want offline translation.
- Choose a capture or translation action. On Mac, follow the app’s prompts to grant Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions. On Linux, configure desktop shortcuts using the Linux guide.
OCR runs locally. Online translation sends the text to your selected provider; use an offline engine to keep translation local. See Privacy.
Source layout and developer commands.
Linux setup · macOS setup and builds · Report a problem · License: GPL-3.0
For a diagnostic report, open Help → Bug report in the app and attach the generated ZIP to your issue. It excludes clipboard text, document contents, histories and credentials.
Click’n’Translate is free. If it helps you, please star the project on GitHub and join us on Telegram.