BubbleTranslate
Translate all selectable text without leaving your desktop.
No interruption while reading anymore. Stop copy-pasting text into Google Translate. Hold Shift, select text, and read the translation right where you are.
Free · 10 translations a day · Pro from $2/month for unlimited
▶ A real screen recording — select text, read the bubble.
New experience in translation, no interruption while reading foreign docs and readings.
Instant
Translation at your cursor
It appears wherever you can select text — no new windows, no context switching.
Effortless
Automatic language detection
You never need to tell BubbleTranslate what language you're reading.
Reliable
Automatic provider fallback
If one provider is unavailable, BubbleTranslate tries another.
Flexible
Make it yours
Target language, shortcut, text size and auto-hide timing.
You never pick the source language
BubbleTranslate figures out what you're reading on its own. Select text in any language and it detects it, then shows the translation in the language you chose. The bubble even tells you what it detected — like Japanese → English.
Translate into any of these 17 languages
Those are one click away in the bubble. Need another? Any language code the providers accept works too — just set it in the config.
Set it once, then Shift to translate
Choose your language once. After that, hold SHIFT key while highlighting the text. That is all for translation which is immediate.
Hold Shift and select
Hold Shift and select text in any app. The bubble appears only for a selection made with the key down, so everyday selecting and copying stay untouched.
Read the bubble
A small bubble pops up at your cursor with the translation, and quietly hides itself after a few seconds.
Keep working
It stays in the menu bar or tray and translates the next thing you select with the key held. Change the target language from the bubble's ⚙ menu.
Prefer a different key?
Shift is the default because holding it already extends a selection, so translating stays one gesture. You can switch to Ctrl, Alt or Super (⌘ on macOS) in the app's settings — or choose Any selection to translate everything, the way it worked before. On some Linux Wayland sessions the key can't be detected; there the app translates every selection and says so.
Private by design
The text you select is the only thing that ever leaves your machine — and only when you select it.
No translation history
BubbleTranslate doesn’t store your translation history. The recent list lives in memory for the session and is gone when you quit.
The licence server never sees your text
Your licence server never sees what you translate. It receives your licence key and a device id, and nothing else.
Only your selection is sent
Only the selected text is sent to the translation provider, together with the language to translate into.
Simple pricing
Start free with 10 translations a day. Go unlimited when you need more.
Free
For light, everyday reading.
- ✓ 10 translations per day
- ✓ Works wherever you can select text
- ✓ Automatic provider fallback
- ✓ Bubble at your cursor, menu bar / tray
- ✓ No account, no sign-up
Pro
or $20 / year — two months free.
- ✓ Unlimited translations
- ✓ Everything in Free
- ✓ Use on up to 3 machines
- ✓ One licence key, no re-buying
- ✓ Supports the app's development
Download BubbleTranslate
Free to install, with 10 translations a day. Upgrade to Pro anytime for unlimited.
macOS
Universal · Apple Silicon & Intel · macOS 11 or later · 15 MB
Download DMGxattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/bubbleTranslate.app
Linux
x86-64 executable · needs glibc 2.43+ · 20 MB
Download binarychmod +x bubbleTranslate-linux-x86_64
./bubbleTranslate-linux-x86_64
Windows
x86-64 · Windows 10 & 11 · runs on ARM too · 17 MB
Download EXEInstalling on macOS — the first run
- Open the DMG and drag bubbleTranslate.app into Applications. Install it there — not run from the DMG or Downloads.
- Launch it once. macOS says it "could not verify" the app — that's Gatekeeper reacting to an app Apple hasn't notarized, not anything the app does. Dismiss it, open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, and click Open Anyway.
- Grant Accessibility: System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility, and switch bubbleTranslate on. This is how it reads what you select — a different permission from Open Anyway.
- Quit and relaunch. The Accessibility permission only takes effect on a fresh start, so quit bubbleTranslate (the globe in the menu bar → Quit) and open it again. Until you do, the window says "Not watching for selections."
- Done. Hold Shift and select text anywhere, and the bubble appears at your cursor.
Still "Not watching" after relaunching? Remove bubbleTranslate from the Accessibility list (select it, click −), run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/bubbleTranslate.app, then add it back, switch it on, and relaunch. A leftover entry from an older build can silently block the new one.
Installing on Windows — the first run
- Put bubbleTranslate.exe wherever you keep programs and double-click it. There is no installer and nothing to unpack — it is one file, and it writes its settings to
%APPDATA%\bubbleTranslatethe first time it runs. - Windows says "Windows protected your PC". That is SmartScreen reacting to a file it has not seen signed, not to anything the app does. Click More info, then Run anyway — once per machine, not once per launch.
- No permission to grant: Windows lets it read what you select straight away, so it starts watching the moment it opens.
- Find the globe. Windows 11 hides every new tray icon behind the ^ arrow next to the clock — drag it out onto the taskbar to keep it there. That icon reopens the window, and it is how you quit.
- Done. Hold Shift and select text anywhere, and the bubble appears at your cursor.
Nothing appears in one particular app? If that window is running as administrator, Windows hides it from every program that isn't — including this one — and there is no permission that changes it. Everywhere else, check that you are holding the key: Shift by default, and the window's Behaviour section is where you change it.
Source, build instructions, and full docs live on GitHub.
Frequently asked questions
Everything worth knowing before you install.
Is BubbleTranslate free?
Yes. You get 10 translations a day for free, on macOS, Windows and Linux, with no account or sign-up. If you need more, Pro removes the daily limit for $2/month or $20/year.
What do I get with Pro?
Unlimited translations on up to three machines, for $2/month or $20/year (the yearly plan is two months free). One licence key covers all your machines, and it supports the app's ongoing development.
How do I pay for Pro?
Monthly or yearly. Billing goes through Paddle, the merchant of record, so you are charged in your own currency. Taxes, if applicable, are calculated and shown by Paddle at checkout. You can cancel anytime.
Which systems does it run on?
macOS, Windows and Linux. The Windows build is one .exe that needs nothing installed and runs on Windows 10 and 11, including ARM machines. On Linux you need glibc 2.43 or newer for the prebuilt binary; on an older distribution, build from source.
Does it need an internet connection?
Yes. Translations come from online providers, tried in turn until one answers. Only the text you select is sent, and only to translate it.
What permission does it need?
On macOS, Accessibility — that's how the app sees what you've selected. It's the only permission it asks for. On Windows and on most X11 and Wayland sessions, nothing extra is required.
Does it translate everything I select?
No — only selections you make with a key held down. Shift by default, so extending a selection and translating it are one gesture. You can switch the key to Ctrl, Alt or Super, or set it to translate every selection like before. Copying and ordinary highlighting are left alone.
Read the world without leaving your work
Download BubbleTranslate free and translate anything you can select.
↓ Get BubbleTranslate free