How to Translate a Screenshot with PixPin

To translate a screenshot with PixPin, press Ctrl+1 on Windows or Control+1 on macOS, select the foreign-language content on your screen, and use the translation shortcut. The translated text appears in the results window. PixPin screen translation processes everything inside the selected screenshot area; it does not continuously translate your screen in real time. You can select a small area or the full screen, but a larger selection usually takes longer to recognize and translate.

How to Translate a Screenshot: Quick Steps

1. Press Ctrl+1 on Windows or Control+1 on macOS to start a screenshot.
2. Select the screen area you want to translate.
3. Press Ctrl+Q on Windows or Option+Q on macOS to start translating.
4. Wait for processing to finish, then review the source text and translation in the results window.
5. Adjust the source language, target language, or display mode as needed.

If PixPin is not installed yet, download PixPin, then follow the complete screenshot translation steps below.

Set the Translation Mode and Target Language

Open the translation settings in PixPin:

• English interface: Configuration > System > Translate
• Chinese interface: 配置 > 系统 > 翻译

Here you can choose a translation mode and default target language.

Language and translation mode settings for PixPin screenshot translation

Choose Image to Text or Image to Image

The two image translation modes use different services and present their results differently:

Translation mode	Requirements	Result format
Image to Text	Available to members and uses the member-only large language model	View text and images in the translation results window and switch between the original and translated image
Image to Image	Available to members; non-members can use it after adding a Baidu Translate Open Platform or Youdao Translation API key	Processes image translation through Baidu Translate Open Platform or Youdao Translation

Based on translation accuracy and how the results are displayed, Image to Text is the recommended mode for members. Members can choose either mode. Non-members can only use Image to Image and must configure their own Baidu Translate Open Platform or Youdao Translation API key.

Side-by-side image and text results in PixPin Image to Text mode

In PixPin 3.5.0.8 and later, Image to Text supports side-by-side translation. The results window can display both text and images, with Translation and Original controls for switching views. When Translation is selected, translated text appears at the corresponding position in the original image. This display is limited to the translation results window and does not modify the original image file.

Before PixPin 3.5.0.8, Image to Text displayed translated text only and did not show translation results in the image area.

Set the Target Language for Screenshot Translation

The target language selected in Configuration becomes the default for each translation. In the Image to Text results window, you can temporarily change the target language for the current translation without replacing the default setting.

Source and target language menus in the PixPin translation window

The following target language options are currently available. Refer to the PixPin interface for the exact option names:

Follow Software	Simplified Chinese	Traditional Chinese
English	Japanese	Korean
French	German	Spanish
Portuguese	Indonesian	Malay
Italian	Russian	Thai
Vietnamese	Arabic	Turkish

Three Ways to Translate Screenshots and Images with PixPin

Method 1: Use the Screenshot Translation Shortcut

1. Press Ctrl+1 on Windows or Control+1 on macOS to start a screenshot.
2. Select the area you want to translate.
3. Press Ctrl+Q on Windows or Option+Q on macOS. The macOS translation shortcut changed to Option+Q in PixPin 3.1.
4. Wait for the translation results window to appear.

Method 2: Start Translation from the Screenshot Toolbar

1. Use PixPin to select the area you want to translate.
2. Click the Translate button on the right side of the screenshot toolbar.
3. Wait for the translation results window to appear.

Translate button on the PixPin screenshot toolbar

Method 3: Translate an Image Pinned to the Screen

1. Pin the image you want to translate to the screen.
2. Use the translation shortcut on the pinned image or click the Translate button.
3. If the toolbar is hidden, press Space to show it, then click the Translate button.
4. Wait for the translation results window to appear.

View and Adjust Image Text Translation Results

After translation finishes, you can change what appears in the results window:

• Show Text and Image: display both text and the image.
• Show Image Only: display the image only.
• Show Text Only: display text only.

Use the controls in the upper-left corner to change the source and target languages. The translation window has Text and Image sections, with text on the left and the image on the right. In the image area, use the mouse wheel to zoom or select text directly in the image.

Translation and Original controls in the PixPin translation results window

Click Translation in the image area to view translated text at the corresponding positions in the original image. Click Original to return to the source image. If the recognized source text is incorrect, you can edit it manually and translate it again.

Does Screenshot Translation Require a Membership or API Key?

Members do not need to configure an API key. They can use translation directly and choose between Image to Text and Image to Image.

Non-members can add their own Youdao Translation or Baidu Translate Open Platform API key in PixPin, but they can only use Image to Image. Follow the corresponding Setup Tutorial and enable both image translation and text translation on the provider’s platform. Translation usage and quotas depend on the API provider’s rules.

Screenshot Translation vs. Text Translation

• Screenshot translation works well for text that cannot be copied directly from a webpage, software interface, or image.
• Text translation works better for precisely copied text, text on a complex background, or long content that extends beyond the screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Languages Does PixPin Screenshot Translation Support?

Image to Text supports more languages than Image to Image, and most languages can be translated. Check the current lists in the translation window for the available source and target languages.

Are the Screenshot Translation Shortcuts the Same on Windows and macOS?

No. The translation shortcut is Ctrl+Q on Windows and Option+Q on macOS. To start a screenshot, use Ctrl+1 on Windows and Control+1 on macOS.

Can Image Translation Overwrite the Original Image?

In PixPin 3.5.0.8 and later, Image to Text can display translated text at the corresponding positions in the original image inside the results window. You can switch between Original and Translation. This display does not modify the original image file.

What Can I Do If the Source Text Is Recognized Incorrectly?

Check whether the image is blurry or has a low resolution, whether the selection contains unrelated content, and whether the current language is supported. If you cannot improve the image or selection, edit the source text manually in the PixPin translation results window and translate it again.

Summary

To translate a screenshot with PixPin, select the content on your screen, start translation with a shortcut or toolbar button, then review and adjust the image text translation in the results window. Image to Text is the recommended mode for members. Non-members can configure a Baidu Translate Open Platform or Youdao Translation API key and use Image to Image.

When you need to translate text from a webpage, software interface, or image that cannot be copied, download PixPin and follow this guide. For long text that can be copied or a precise selection on a complex background, text translation is a better fit.