BeyondTranslate Documentation

BeyondTranslate is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Download the latest release from the official releases page and choose the package that matches your platform.

On macOS, double-click the .dmg file and drag BeyondTranslate to your Applications folder. On Windows, run the .exe installer. On Linux, install the .deb package or use the portable archive.

After installation, launch BeyondTranslate from your Applications menu or start menu. The app will appear as a mini window that you can summon with the configured global hotkey.

BeyondTranslate supports multiple service providers for translation, OCR, and dictionary lookup. You can configure each service independently in the settings panel.

Supported translation providers include:

• Baidu
• Caiyun (ColorTranslation)
• DeepL
• Google
• Tencent
• Youdao
• OpenAI
• Anthropic
• xAI
• Ollama

For each provider, you may need to obtain API credentials from their respective developer portals. Enter these credentials in the settings panel to enable the service.

You can also configure the default source and target languages, hotkey combinations, and application behavior in the settings.

BeyondTranslate offers four ways to capture text for translation:

• Screen Selection — Select text in any application and use the global hotkey to extract it
• Screenshot OCR — Draw a rectangle around text in images, videos, or non-selectable interfaces
• Clipboard — Copy text to your clipboard and trigger translation with a hotkey
• Input — Open the mini translator and type or paste text directly

Once text is captured, BeyondTranslate auto-detects the source language and sends it to your configured translation or dictionary service. Results appear instantly in the mini translator window.

You can double-click any result to copy it to your clipboard, or adjust the source/target languages on the fly.

Global hotkeys let you trigger translation actions without leaving your current application. Configure these in the settings panel.

Available hotkey actions include:

• Open mini translator
• Screen selection capture
• Screenshot OCR capture
• Clipboard translation
• Translate selected text
• Quick language switching

Hotkeys can include modifiers like Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Meta (Cmd on macOS, Win on Windows), and any alphanumeric key.

If translation is not working, first check that your configured service provider credentials are valid and that you have an active internet connection for cloud-based services.

On macOS, screen capture features may require granting screen recording permission in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording.

If the app does not start or crashes frequently, try reinstalling the latest version from the releases page. If the issue persists, file a bug report on GitHub.