A fast, native, and lightweight pop-up translation utility for macOS.
Transl translates selected text instantly without breaking your workflow. Highlight text anywhere, press Option + T (⌥T), and a floating translation panel appears right next to your mouse cursor.
- Instant Pop-Up: Select text in any app and press
Option + T(⌥T) to show the translation at your cursor. - Smart Auto-Switching: Detects the source language automatically and toggles between target and fallback languages.
- Non-Intrusive Panel: Floating panel stays on top without stealing focus from your active window.
- Auto-Copy Option: Automatically copy translations to the clipboard or copy manually with a single click.
- Ultra Lightweight: Takes up ~4 MB of disk space and ~55 MB of RAM in the background.
- Download the latest
.dmgfile from the Releases section. - Open the
.dmgand drag Transl.app into your Applications folder. - Launch Transl.
Since Transl is an independent open-source project without a paid Apple Developer ID, macOS Gatekeeper may show a warning: "Transl is damaged and can’t be opened" or "App cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer".
You can bypass this in two ways:
Open Terminal and run:
xattr -cr /Applications/Transl.app- Try opening Transl.app once.
- Go to System Settings -> Privacy & Security.
- Scroll down to the Security section where it mentions Transl was blocked.
- Click Open Anyway and enter your password.
Transl requires Accessibility permission to capture highlighted text from other applications:
- Open System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Accessibility.
- Enable the toggle for Transl.
Join the Discord server to share feedback, report issues, or follow updates:
- General: Discussions about macOS utilities and development.
- Bug Reports: Report bugs or app crashes.
- Feature Requests: Share ideas for future releases.
- Clips — A fast, modern, and lightweight clipboard manager for macOS.
Distributed under the GPLv3 License. See LICENSE for details.
