Frequently Asked Questions

The quickest way to create a viewfinder:

• Instant Creation: Double-tap fn + Control to create a viewfinder at your mouse position instantly
• Alternative: You can also use the menu bar icon or app menu to create a viewfinder

The viewfinder will appear as a translucent window that you can move and resize as needed.

You can close a viewfinder in several ways:

• Press ESC key
• Triple-click anywhere on the viewfinder
• Click Close (✕), just outside the viewfinder

ViewLingo requires Screen Recording permission to capture the content within your viewfinder. This is a macOS requirement for any app that captures screen content.

ViewLingo supports languages available in both Apple text recognition (OCR) and Translation on your Mac. Available languages depend on your macOS version.

ViewLingo uses Apple's built-in neural translation engine, which delivers natural, high-quality translations right on your Mac. For the best results, keep in mind:

• Clear, legible text is recognized most reliably
• Including a full sentence gives the translator more context
• Your source-language list tells ViewLingo which languages to expect

Retry re-translates the current area whenever you like.

Yes! ViewLingo works completely offline. All translations happen on your device using Apple's built-in translation engine. No internet connection is required once your language packs are downloaded.

Live Mode automatically retranslates content as it changes on screen, perfect for:

• Video subtitles
• Live streams
• Dynamic web content
• Scrolling documents

Yes! ViewLingo natively handles vertical text commonly found in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean content. Vertical text is automatically detected and translations render in the correct writing direction.

ViewLingo uses adaptive font sizing to ensure translated text fits naturally within the original text area. It automatically adjusts font size, tries condensed fonts, and uses multi-line wrapping when needed to maintain readability.

Under normal usage, ViewLingo has minimal impact on system performance:

• Regular Mode: Very low resource usage, processes only when you request translation
• Live Mode: Higher resource usage due to continuous processing

ViewLingo runs on macOS 15.0 or later as a universal app, native on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

Yes! ViewLingo can translate text from any application or website, including:

• Web browsers (Safari, Chrome, Firefox)
• PDF readers
• Video players
• Games
• Documents and presentations
• Social media apps

The viewfinder captures whatever is visible on your screen, regardless of the source application.

See your local price on the App Store.

ViewLingo is a one-time purchase that includes:

• All features with no restrictions
• Every language your Mac supports, using Apple's free language packs
• No account or sign-up
• No subscriptions or recurring fees
• Premium privacy with on-device processing

It costs less than a single month of many translation subscriptions, and it's yours to keep.

Yes! ViewLingo supports Apple's Family Sharing, so you can share your purchase with up to 6 family members at no additional cost. You can also install it on all your personal Macs.

ViewLingo follows Apple's standard refund policy. If the app doesn't meet your needs, you can request a refund from Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Absolutely! ViewLingo is designed with privacy as a core principle:

• All translations happen on your device
• No data is sent to external servers
• We never collect or transmit your content; your translation history stays on your Mac
• No analytics or tracking
• Works completely offline

The screen recording permission allows ViewLingo to capture content within your viewfinder. This is:

• Required by macOS for any screen capture functionality
• Limited to the specific area you select
• Processed on your Mac; captures kept in your history never leave it
• Cannot be accessed remotely or transmitted

ViewLingo uses this permission responsibly and only for translation purposes.

Usually this means the language pack for that language pair isn't installed yet. macOS does the translating, and it needs each pack downloaded once before it can work offline.

• ViewLingo detects this and helps you download the missing pack.
• To install manually: System Settings › General › Language & Region › Translation Languages, then download the languages you need.
• You only need the languages you actually read plus your own — not all of them.
• After downloading, return to ViewLingo and capture again. Translation then runs fully offline.

Try these solutions:

• Check text clarity: Ensure the text is clearly visible and not blurry
• Adjust viewfinder size: Make sure the entire text is within the viewfinder
• Zoom in: Enlarging very small text on screen helps recognition
• Check language settings: Ensure the source language is supported

This is a known macOS behavior. When an app is updated, macOS may invalidate its screen recording permission internally, even though System Settings still shows it as "enabled." To fix this:

1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
2. Find ViewLingo in the list
3. Remove it using the − (minus) button
4. Add it back using the + (plus) button
5. Restart ViewLingo

1. Restart ViewLingo: Quit and relaunch the app
2. Check macOS version: Ensure you're running macOS 15.0 or later
3. Disable Live Mode: If enabled, turn off Live Mode in settings
4. Restart your Mac: Sometimes a system restart helps
5. Reinstall: Delete and reinstall from the App Store

If problems persist, please report the issue on our GitHub Issues page.

We welcome your feedback! You can:

• Report bugs: GitHub Issues
• Request features: GitHub Discussions
• Leave App Store reviews: Help other users discover ViewLingo

Please include your macOS version and detailed steps to reproduce any issues.