Read in place
See translated dialogue over the original game window.
Screen translation for Mac
Read the text you can’t copy.
Select text in a game, image or document. Read the translation right where it appears.
One-time purchase · No subscription
See your local price on the App Store.
macOS 15+ · Apple silicon & Intel · Screen Recording permission required. Download language packs once for offline use. Setup & compatibility
From “what does it say?” to “got it.”
- 01
Select an area
Draw around the screen text you want to read.
- 02
Read in place
See the translation over your existing window.
- 03
Keep Live on
Follow changing screen text while you keep watching or playing.
See what you can read
More than one scene
Read dialogue and screen text in their original place.
Private by design
On-device translation. No account needed. Download language packs once for offline use.
Good to know
ViewLingo reads the text you see on screen, not spoken audio. Your language list comes straight from macOS, and once a language pack is downloaded, translation works offline.
Try it in your browser
Drag a viewfinder across the article, the same way you would on your Mac.
Illustrated interaction demo — not a live translation engine.
Languages
ViewLingo supports languages available in both Apple text recognition (OCR) and Translation on your Mac. Available languages depend on your macOS version.
ViewLingo walks you through downloading each language pack once (you can also manage them in System Settings › General › Language & Region › Translation Languages). After that, translation runs entirely offline.
To see the exact list for your Mac, open ViewLingo's settings — it reads the languages from macOS directly.
What it does
Viewfinder Translation
Press fn + Control + Option and drag over any text on your screen: games, videos, websites, documents or apps. Move or resize the viewfinder and the translation follows.
Natural AR Overlay
Translations are drawn over the original text, fitted to its layout and colors. No copying, no switching between apps.
Languages supported on your Mac
Every language that both your Mac's text recognition and Apple Translation support, so the list grows with macOS.
Fast Translation
No round-trips to a server. Translation runs locally on your Mac — without sending your screen content to a server.
Live Translation Mode
Follows changing text in video subtitles, games, slides and live streams, and holds steady when the screen doesn't change.
Vertical Text Support
Recognizes and translates vertical Japanese, Chinese and Korean text, from manga panels to signs.
Adaptive Font Sizing
Translations automatically adjust font size for optimal readability, even when translated text is longer than the original.
Controls That Stay Clear
Live, Retry and Close sit just outside your selection, so they never cover the text you're reading.
Privacy-First Translation
Your content never leaves your Mac. All translations happen on-device using Apple's built-in translation engine.
100% On-Device
After the required language packs are downloaded, translation runs locally without an internet connection.
Zero Data Collection
No account, no analytics, no tracking. We never receive your screen content or translations; your history stays on your Mac.
Apple's Translation Engine
Uses Apple’s translation engine on your device. Available languages depend on your Mac.
Mac App Store
Available on the Mac App Store.
Read what’s on your screen.
Select text in a game, image or document. Read the translation right where it appears.
One-time purchase
See your local price on the App Store.
One-time purchase • No subscription • No account
Requires macOS 15.0 or later · Apple silicon and Intel