Rewrite selected text in any Windows app

• 1. Highlight the text

  Select text in any editable field: Gmail, Slack, Word, Notion, Teams, VS Code, or a browser form. The field has to accept typing. Read-only page text cannot be replaced — an incoming chat bubble or a webpage you cannot edit will not be overwritten.

• 2. Press Win+Ctrl+R

  The default shortcut is Win+Ctrl+R on Windows, and it is configurable in Settings. Sign in once to arm it; closing the window leaves Lightphrase in the tray. Press it and the wheel opens on your pointer. You stay in the app you were already writing in.

• 3. Sweep to an action

  Hold the shortcut, push toward Retone, Translate, Summarize, Fix Grammar, or Reply, then release. Sweeping past the outer rim still counts. If you already let go, the wheel stays open: click a slice, press a number key, or use the arrows and Enter. Escape, a click outside, or switching apps cancels. A wheel left open for 15 seconds closes itself.

• 4. Rewrites replace; Reply copies

  Retone, Translate, Summarize, and Fix Grammar replace the selection where it sits. Reply writes a response to the highlighted message and copies it — it does not paste over the selection. Before Lightphrase copies your selection it snapshots the clipboard, and it puts that snapshot back after the paste. Selected text is sent only when you pick an action.

• Gmail

  In Gmail, highlight a draft in the compose box and press Win+Ctrl+R. Rewrites replace that selection in the same box; you stay on the thread. Incoming mail you cannot edit is different: Reply copies a response. For a reply without overwriting the message, that workflow has its own page.

• Slack

  In Slack, highlight text in the message field and the rewrite pastes back into that box. Channels, DMs, and threads work when the field is editable. A sent chat bubble is not editable, so that rewrite is copied and a notification says so.

• Word

  In Word, highlight a sentence or a paragraph and the replacement pastes back into the same selection. Lightphrase does not install a Word add-in; it uses clipboard copy and paste. Move the caret before generation finishes and replacement is cancelled.

• Outlook

  Outlook compose fields are editable, so a highlighted draft is replaced in place. Highlight an incoming message you cannot edit and pick Reply for a copied response. The shortcut is registered with Windows, so it works while Outlook is focused.

• Notion

  In Notion, highlight text in a page, a comment, or a database field you can type into. The rewrite pastes back into that block. Pages you can only view are read-only — those selections cannot be replaced, and the rewrite is copied instead.

• Teams

  Teams compose boxes work like Slack: highlight in the field you are typing in and the selection is replaced there. A received message bubble is not editable. Use Reply to copy a response, or accept a clipboard copy and a notification.

• VS Code

  In VS Code, highlight a comment, a string, or a block of prose and rewrite it in place. Lightphrase is not a VS Code extension. Read-only preview tabs cannot be replaced.

• Browser forms

  Any browser form with an editable field works: a textarea, a contenteditable box, a comment form. Article copy and a rendered PDF in the tab cannot be replaced; those rewrites are copied and a notification says so.

Looking for a Grammarly alternative for Windows? That comparison is a separate page.

• Read-only pages, PDFs, and chat bubbles

  When the highlighted text is not editable — a webpage you are reading, a PDF, a chat bubble that is not a compose field — Lightphrase leaves it as is. The rewrite is copied to your clipboard instead, and a notification tells you so.

• Reply copies; a moved selection cancels

  Reply always copies a response and leaves the incoming message unchanged. If you move the caret or change the selection before generation finishes, replacement is cancelled so the wrong field is not overwritten. In a copy-only case the previous clipboard is not restored, because the rewrite is what you now need.

• Hold Shift to skip the wheel

  Win+Ctrl+Shift+R skips the wheel entirely and retones immediately with the active tone. No wheel appears; a loading indicator sits on the pointer, then the selection is replaced. If the shortcut you chose in Settings already uses Shift, this variant is unavailable and Settings says so.

• Rebind the shortcut

  The default is Win+Ctrl+R. Rebind it in Lightphrase → Settings. The shortcut is registered with Windows, so it works while another app is focused. To translate the selection in place rather than retone silently, press Win+Ctrl+R and sweep to Translate.