safari macos translate

How-To Geek

How to translate web pages in safari on mac.

Have you landed on a French or Spanish website? Translate it to English with the press of a button!

Often find yourself on websites with text in a foreign language? If you use Safari, there's no need to go to Google Translate. You can translate web pages between seven languages right in Safari on a Mac.

Starting with Safari 14.0, Apple included a translation feature directly in the browser. As of this writing, the feature is in beta, but fully functional. If your Mac is running the latest version of macOS Mojave, Catalina,  Big Sur , or newer, you can access the translation feature.

The translation functionality works between the following languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, French, German, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese.

By default, you can translate any of the above languages to English. You can also add more languages to the mix (we'll talk more about that below).

To get started, open a web page in one of the supported languages. Safari will automatically recognize that language, and you'll see "Translation Available" in the URL bar, along with a Translation button; click it.

If this is the first time you've used the feature, a pop-up will appear. Click "Enable Translation" to turn on the feature.

In the translation menu, select "Translate to English."

The text on the page will instantly convert to English, as shown in the image below. The Translation button will also turn blue.

To disable the Translation feature and return to the original language, click the Translation button again, and then select "View Original."

As we mentioned above, you can also translate to languages other than English. To do so, click the Translation button, and then select "Preferred Languages."

This opens the "Language & Region" menu in System Preferences. Here, click the plus sign (+) to add a new preferred language. You can add multiple languages here while continuing to use English as the default language across your Mac.

In the pop-up, select the languages you want to add, and then click "Add."

System Preferences will ask if you want to make this your default language. Choose the previous default language if you want it to remain the status quo.

Now that you've added a new preferred language, you'll see the translation button even when you visit web pages that are in English.

The translation process for a preferred language is the same: click the Translation button in the URL bar, and then select "Translate to [the language you selected]."

Again, you can view the original at any time by simply clicking "View Original" in the Translation menu.

If you're traveling to a new country, you can also use the built-in Translate app on your iPhone or iPad to quickly translate speech between multiple languages.

Related: How to Use the Apple Translate App on iPhone

macOS Big Sur

Macos big sur: how to translate websites with safari.

Safari 14 which is the default browser with macOS Big Sur comes with quite a few improvements. And one of the brand new features (although in beta) is seamless translation of websites. Read along for how to natively translate websites with Safari on Mac.

If you’re a regular Safari user, you’re probably used to using Google Translate or another website or app to convert text. Now Safari has built-in translation that’s really fast to use on Mac .

Now with Safari 14 and macOS Big Sur, the Translate beta is available for a faster way to understand websites that are written in languages you don’t speak/read. The Translate beta is also available for Safari on iPhone and iPad .

How to translate websites with Safari with macOS Big Sur

• Running Safari 14 on macOS Big Sur, open a website in another language
• When translation is available, look for the Translate icon on the right side of the url/search bar
• Click “Translate to _________” which will be your default language for your Mac
• Click the icon again to revert the webpage to the original language
• There’s also a button (Preferred Languages) to take you System Preferences > Language and Region
• Keep in mind the Translate button won’t appear when it’s unavailable

Here’s how the process looks:

More 9to5Mac tutorials:

• macOS Big Sur 11 top features – the Mac gets a new UI, Control Center, 4K YouTube, & more [Video]
• macOS Big Sur: How to use Dark Mode on your Mac
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How to translate a web page in Safari on Mac

Whether you’re learning a new language or frequently visit sites that display in another dialect, you can translate a web page in Safari on Mac. Without a third-party tool, you can take advantage of Safari’s built-in translation feature. Read along to find out how.

How to translate a web page language in Safari on Mac

How to translate a portion of a web page on mac, how to change your languages translation settings on mac, how to help apple improve safari translations.

• If you visit another web page of the same site in the same tab, that page will be automatically translated as well. Safari will stop translating automatically if the page is not in the same original language or on a different domain.

Safari makes it simple to translate almost any web page in its entirety. 

Maybe it’s not an entire web page you want to translate but a certain part. It might be a sentence or a paragraph. You can do this using Live Text and then take advantage of the additional options you have.

• Select the text you want to translate by dragging your cursor through it to highlight it.

You can decide the availability of languages when you use Safari’s translation feature . Here’s how.

• At the top of the window, you’ll see  Preferred Languages  listing those you have available for translation.

• You’ll see a message asking if you want to change your primary language to the one you want to add. Choose the option you want, and you’ll then see the new language displayed in your Preferred Languages list.

• When you finish, close the System Settings. You should then see your updated languages available when you select the  Translate  icon in Safari.

If you translate a page and believe the translation may be inaccurate, you can let Apple know. This helps Apple improve translations moving forward.

• You’ll see a message pop-up letting you know that Apple will store and use the web page address contents to improve translations. Pick  Report  to send the information to Apple.

Don’t let language barriers stop you!

With the built-in translation feature in Safari on Mac, you don’t have to use a third-party translator or bypass a potentially great web page because it’s in a different language.

Have you used translation in Safari on Mac yet? What are your thoughts on the feature? Let us know!

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How to Use the Built-In Translator in macOS Big Sur’s Safari

With macOS Big Sur, you can translate entire web pages in Safari. When you encounter a compatible page, just click the translation icon (see in the graphic below) in the address field to translate into English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Russian, or Brazilian Portuguese in real-time.

Here’s how to translate web pages in Safari:

• In the Safari app on your Mac, go to the webpage you want to translate.
• Move the pointer over the Translate button in the URL file (it looks like toward balloons with an “A” in one) to see if a translation is available. If the webpage can be translated, the Smart Search field displays Translation Available.
• Click the Translate icon, then choose a language.

Preferred Languages

If you want to translate a page into a language other than English, go to the Apple menu and click System Preferences > Language & Region.

You’ll see the default preferred language on the left side of the window. To change it, click the “+” button at the bottom of the screen.

By the way, if the translate icon doesn’t show up, click the View option in the web browser’s menu bar and click Translate .

Related Links

• Friday Five: Amazing Things You Can Do with Google Chrome Browser on a Mac
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• Translating Apple’s New High Sierra & APFS Compatibility Document

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How to use Translation in macOS Monterey

The new system-wide translation is superb.

Vous allez aimer la nouvelle fonctionnalite de traduction du systeme de MacOS Monterey. You know that you could copy that first sentence and paste it into Google Translate, and see that it says you'll love the new translation in macOS Monterey.

Or if you're reading on Safari , you can find that out with a tap. We're so used to being able to go online to translate, and we've perhaps already become so used to Safari's brilliant website translation, that we don't get just what this means.

Read that first sentence as it's being written in Pages, or in a Mail message someone sends you. Read it in a PDF version of this article opened in Preview.

Take a screenshot, take a photo of the screen, and macOS Monterey will recognize the text, then if you want, translate it too.

How to translate text in macOS Monterey

• Highlight a word, sentence, or up to a couple of paragraphs
• Right click on the highlighted text
• Choose Translate...

The Mac then displays a pop-up window with your highlighted text in its original language, followed by an English translation.

You can choose to Replace Translation , or Copy Translation . The latter puts the translated text into your clipboard so you can paste it anywhere you like.

The former deletes the originally-highlighted text and inserts the translated version.

There's also a dropdown menu beside both the original and translated languages. These show you what language has been detected, but you can also change either of them to see the result in a new language.

How to set up and use system-wide translation

There is no set up. None at all. You won't find a direct setting in System Preferences — though there are some options in Language & Region — and you won't find a Translation app to launch.

This is what's thrilling about system-wide translation, and it's possibly also why this feature doesn't seem to be getting the attention it deserves. Wherever you are on your Mac, whatever you're doing, if there is text in a language the new translation feature understands, you can translate immediately.

Except there's one obvious issue right away, there's one disappointment, and at present there are exceptions. Seemingly system-wide does not mean system-wide.

Limitations

Translation may be system-wide, but it does need developers to support it. So sometimes there are apps where it won't work.

Then in apps that do, such as Drafts 5, Preview, OmniFocus, OmniOutliner, Duolingo, Mail, and more, there are limits. It's not like Safari's website translation where an entire page gets converted, you instead have to select a few paragraphs.

That's a shame since the entire point of being able to do this translation anywhere, is to be able to do it anywhere.

Language limitations

Translation in macOS Monterey works with what Apple would call a a total of 12 — but you do have to be a little generous to agree. For Apple counts English (US) and English (UK) as separate languages, which is certainly true for spellings.

But Merriam-Webster didn't change the meanings of the words at the same time.

Languages currently supported by macOS Monterey Translation

• English (UK)
• English (US)
• Mandarin (China mainland)
• Portugese (Brazil)

It's not a giant list, but it's an impressive and an extremely useful selection that will, presumably, grow over time.

If the languages you need are in the list, you don't have to think about it, translation will just work. However, even when you have got the language you want, it could pay to dig a little deeper into it.

Managing languages and on-device translation

By default, macOS Monterey translation uses the internet. You text is sent off to servers in Cupertino, or wherever, and the answer comes back from there.

This is actually why you don't have to think about which languages you've got. It'll work if Apple translate supports the language, and it won't if it doesn't.

There's another option, though. You can have your Mac download one or more of the translation languages so that the ability is on your device even without an internet connection.

The advantage to that is obvious, but it means downloading the language, so taking up storage space on your iPhone. It also means that the translation will not be as good.

Apple says that, "offline translations may not be as accurate as online translations." And it also says that, "Siri and Safari will always process translations online."

If the Safari and Siri teams won't accept this offline translation option, you know it's got to be significantly poorer. We just have no way of knowing precisely how, or even whether certain languages are better than others.

Nonetheless, if you want a certain translation language to be available offline, then you have a couple of ways to do it.

How to download languages to translate on-device

• Open System Preferences and choose Language & Region
• Click on Translation Languages toward the bottom of the screen
• Choose a language, or several, by clicking on Download next to their name
• Also tick On-Device Mode
• Click on Done

If you don't tick On-Device Mode , then the Mac will continue to use online translation even though you've got that language right there.

The best use for this is perhaps when you're about to be travelling and need to avoid high data charges. Download the language before you leave, then tick On-Device Mode when you're away.

That's perhaps the thing with system-wide translation — you're only going to need it in certain circumstances. If you are always, always reading documents in French, then you'd be best off learning the language.

Although, yes. the new macOS Monterey system-wide translation does let you cheat in Duolingo.

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Tips & Tricks

Troubleshooting, 3 mac tips for working with international teams.

If you’re a Mac user and you work with teams internationally, as many of us do nowadays, you can make your life a little easier by utilizing some handy tips and tricks to keep track of time zones, translate languages and overcome language barriers more easily, and to be aware of local holidays and customs so you don’t have scheduling mishaps.

Read along, let’s check out some of these useful tips for working with international teams with your Mac. And don’t forget to share your own tips and tricks for working with international colleagues too!

1: Use the World Clock Widget

Knowing what time it is where the teams you are working with matters, so you don’t send them messages at 3 AM, set a meeting an impossible time, or at least so you can set realistic expectations on when you might get a reply.

macOS Sonoma and newer allows you to add widgets to your Mac desktop, and a really handy one is the World Clock.

Right-click on the Mac desktop and choose “Edit Widgets”, then search for ‘Clock’ and add the World Clock to your Mac desktop. Then right-click on the World Clock itself to edit the widget, and adjust the time zones for the teams you work with.

2: Translate an Entire Webpage to English with Safari on Mac

Modern versions of Safari for Mac ( and iPhone and iPad ) include an excellent translation ability. This is obviously useful for when you’re reading something in a language that you don’t understand, since you can quickly have it translated into English so you can understand the gist.

• Open Safari and go to the webpage that you want to translate into English, in this example we’re using German site DerSpiegel
• Look at the right of the URL address bar for the translation symbol, it looks like an [A] and a Chinese character, and choose “Translate to English”

The webpage will refresh and be translated instantly, like this:

3: Be Cognizant of Local Holidays

Every country (and many different cultures) celebrate different holidays, have different days off, and have different observances for time away from work.

Being fully cognizant of local holidays and customs will make your work life easier, and the reverse is true too; you should notify international teams you’re working with about the days you expect to have off, or the times you will be away from work too.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are websites like this one at TimeAndDate.com Holidays that list observances and holidays per country.

Don’t assume everyone observes the same holidays or customs!

4: Bonus Tip – Track International Shipments with AirTags

If you’re shipping goods or items between international teams, or if colleagues are carrying important items with them on international travels, you might want to consider setting up an AirTag and tossing it in the container, luggage, or package with the item so that you can track it.

Tracking internationally works great with Find My , whether it’s an AirTag, iPhone, or another Apple device, and AirTags are particularly great for this purpose.

Do you have any particularly handy Mac tips for working with people abroad or in other countries, languages, time zones, and cultures? Share your helpful tips and tricks in the comments!

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How To Update Safari On Your Mac: A Step-By-Step Guide

It's no secret that Safari is the go-to browser for many Mac users . Sure, other browsers like Google Chrome have their advantages , especially if you're deep into Google's ecosystem, but using third-party browsers other than Safari on your Mac has downsides. Safari is optimized for macOS and integrates seamlessly with your other Apple devices like your iPhone and iPad by using Handoff.

If you've been a part of the Apple ecosystem for a while now, you're probably aware of Handoff, a very convenient Apple feature that allows you to begin a task on one of your devices, and pick up where you left off on another device.

Safari is no exception — Handoff allows you to start reading or watching something on your iPhone or iPad, and pick up where you left off on your Mac. This not only saves you the time of looking for a webpage but also makes jumping from one task to another extremely simple. Like any application, keeping Safari up to date is extremely important. Not only do new Safari updates come with newer features, but Apple also frequently rolls out updates to address security threats.

Now that you know it is a good idea to install Safari updates whenever they're rolled out, the real question is: How do you update Safari? Strangely enough, if your Apple device is updated to macOS Ventura or later , the only way to update Safari is to update your Mac itself.

How to update macOS

While you can't update Safari without updating macOS, you can check which version of Safari you're currently using. To do so, open the Safari app on your Mac and click on Safari from the menu bar. Now, select About Safari from the dropdown menu. Once you do so, a dialogue box will appear. The version of Safari you're currently using should be mentioned below the "Safari" text.

If you'd like to update Safari, follow the steps below to update macOS:

Click the Apple menu in the menu bar and select System Settings from the dropdown menu.

Select General from the sidebar on the left.

Click Software Update and wait for a few seconds.

Now, if a new update is available, click Update Now next to Updates Available.

If a Safari-specific update is available, you can click More Info and select Safari from the "Updates are available for your Mac" section.

To avoid having to update macOS manually to update Safari, we recommend enabling automatic updates. This way, you won't miss out on new features and can rest easy, knowing that Apple has fixed any known security threats . To do so, click the info icon next to Automatic updates and toggle on the switch next to Download new updates when available, Install macOS updates, and Install Security Responses and system files.

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Update Your Mac Now: macOS 14.4.1 Fixes These Three Major Bugs

Apple has released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 , which is a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September, but one that fixes a handful of widely reported bugs that were introduced in macOS 14.4.

USB Hub Connectivity Issues

Some users experienced connectivity issues with USB hubs and monitors with USB ports since updating to macOS 14.4, with several reports of mice, keyboards, and other peripherals no longer being detected. Apple now says macOS 14.4.1 provides a bug fix for cases in which "USB hubs connected to external displays may not be recognized."

Java Apps Quit Unexpectedly

Oracle last week warned that Apple's macOS 14.4 update can cause Java processes to " terminate unexpectedly " on Macs. The issue affected all Java versions from Java 8 to the early access builds of JDK 22, and there was no workaround available. Apple now says macOS 14.4.1 provides a bug fix for cases where "apps that include Java may quit unexpectedly."

Audio Unit Plugins Crash

There have been reports of compatibility issues with PACE products in macOS 14.4, including the iLok License Manager , connected to Apple silicon Macs running macOS 14.4. The problem specifically impacts plugins from various manufacturers that are safeguarded by PACE/iLok, including those made by Universal Audio , when used with host DAWs such as Logic Pro. Apple's release notes for macOS 14.4.1 say the update provides a fix for cases in which "copy protected Audio Unit plug-ins designed for professional music apps may not open or pass validation."

Potential Issues Remaining in macOS 14.4.1

There are still a couple of issues in macOS Sonoma 14.4 that are not mentioned in the release notes for Apple's latest point update, so it is best to assume they have not been addressed.

Printer Operation

Removed or Corrupted Drivers

The update may remove or corrupt printer drivers . Specifically, the core CUPS software for printing operations over a network seems to be removed. HP printers in particular appear to be affected, but the exact commonalities between the reports, such as the use of Microsoft Defender or JAMF mobile device management software , are not entirely clear. Some users have found a workaround by granting Full Disk Access to certain processes in System Settings ➝ Privacy & Security. Despite these attempts, a comprehensive solution has not yet been found.

iCloud Drive

Destroys Saved Versions

Users running macOS 14.4 that have "Optimize Mac Storage" enabled should be aware that they are at risk of losing all previously saved versions of a file if they opt to remove it from iCloud Drive local storage. Versions are normally created automatically when users save files using apps that work with the version system in macOS. If you have already updated, either do not save files to iCloud Drive at all, or turning off Optimize Mac Storage. To perform the latter in System Settings, click your Apple ID, select iCloud, and then toggle off the switch next to "Optimize Mac Storage."

Consider Not Updating

If you have yet to update to macOS 14.4 or later, and you anticipate that either or both of these problems could significantly impact your daily operations or productivity, it may be prudent to delay updating your Mac until Apple explicitly addresses these concerns with a subsequent fix.

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Update: Apple fixes the mess it made of macOS Sonoma with the new 14.4.1 update

Update March 25: Apple releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 with fixes for several major bugs, including the ones mentioned here.

Apple released the  macOS Sonoma 14.4 update  two weeks ago, and while you might be enjoying its new emojis, you might also be suffering through some major issues hindering your ability to use your Mac properly. In a rare string of mishaps affecting a point update, several users have reported serious bugs that have cropped up since installing macOS 14.4.

No less than three major bugs have thwarted users over the past two weeks, including (in the order of the most users possibly affected):

macOS 14.4: USB devices stop working

Several users through different venues have reported that their USB devices stop working after macOS 14.4 is installed. Some users fixed the problem by going to System Settings >  Privacy & Security  >  Allow accessories to connect , and then setting it to  Always . You may have to switch it to  Always  and then switch it to  Ask every time . Before performing these steps, you may have to disconnect all USB devices, and then after adjusting the setting, the Mac needs to restart. After that, connect the devices, which should trigger a confirmation prompt and the devices may work again.  Learn more about the macOS 14.4 USB bug .

macOS 14.4: iCloud Drive not saving file versions

This bug involves using an app that allows users to revert to previous versions of a file and your file is saved to iCloud Drive. If iCloud Drive is set to Optimize Mac Storage and you use the Remove Download function, the previous versions of the file disappear. If you already have 14.4 installed, you can avoid this bug by turning off Optimized Mac Storage ( System Settings  >  your Apple ID  >  iCloud .)  Learn more about the macOS 14.4 iCloud Drive bug .

macOS 14.4: Unexpected Java termination

Oracle reports that Java processes in macOS 14.4 will terminate unexpectedly, so anyone using Java should avoid 14.4. The issue seems to be isolated to Apple silicon Macs, where the wrong signal is being sent after a just-in-time compile and execute cycle accesses protected memory regions. “Ahead-of-Time compiled applications created with GraalVM Native Image should not be affected, but your ability to build new images may be,” according to the  Java blog .  Learn more about the macOS 14.4 Java bug .

macOS 14.4: What to do?

While Apple issued iOS 17.4.1 on Thursday, the company has yet to respond with a macOS 14.4 update. Nor has it issued any advice on how to handle the bugs or pulled the update, which also includes some 60 security patches . Still, if you haven’t installed macOS 14.4 yet, you might consider waiting until Apple releases the next update, likely 14.4.1. Somewhat uncharacteristically, Apple hasn’t yet released a beta for macOS 14.5, so it’s probably a month or more away from release.

If you have installed macOS 14.4, the only way to revert to macOS Sonoma 14.3.1 is to erase all data from your Mac (System, Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Contents and Settings , and restore your Mac from an old backup made while running the previous version.

Author: Roman Loyola , Senior Editor

Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.

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