Lightphrase · Translate

Translate selected text in place on Windows

Lightphrase translates the text you already highlighted. Press Win+Ctrl+R, sweep to Translate, pick a language, and the selection is replaced where it sits — Gmail, Slack, Word, or any editable field. There is no extra tab and no overlay to copy from.

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How to translate selected text in place

  • 1. Highlight the text

    Select the words you want translated in any editable field: Gmail, Slack, Word, Notion, Teams, VS Code, or a browser form. The highlight has to be in a field you can type in. Read-only page text cannot be replaced.

  • 2. Press Win+Ctrl+R

    The Lightphrase wheel opens on your pointer. Lightphrase stays in the tray; there is no extra window to find and you do not leave the app you were already writing in. If you release the keys early, the wheel stays open so you can click a slice.

  • 3. Sweep to Translate

    Hold and push toward the Translate slice, then release. Translate is one slice on the action wheel, not a separate app. Sweeping past the outer rim still counts, so the gesture does not demand a precise click.

  • 4. Pick a language

    A second wheel opens with eight favorites plus Other: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese Simplified, and Other. That pick applies to this rewrite only. It is not a settings switch.

  • 5. The selection is replaced

    The translation is pasted over the selection where it sits. Your clipboard is snapshotted before the copy and put back after the paste. Rewrites replace; Reply copies a response and leaves the selection unchanged. Translate is a rewrite.

Works wherever you type
  • Gmail
  • Slack
  • Word
  • Notion
  • Teams
  • VS Code
  • Any browser

How this differs from a popup translator

QTranslate, DeepL overlays, and similar Windows popup translators sit on top of the app you were using. You highlight, a floating window shows the translation, and you copy it back if you want the field itself to change. Lightphrase does not open a translator window. After you sweep Translate and pick a language, the selection in the field you were already in is replaced with the translation.

That is the difference this page is for: overlay tools display a translation you still have to paste; Lightphrase replaces the selection in Gmail, Slack, Word, or whichever editable field had the highlight. You stay in that app. There is no extra tab and nothing to copy from a popup.

If the highlighted text is not editable — a webpage, a PDF, a received chat bubble — Lightphrase cannot paste over it. The translation is copied instead, and a notification says so. That is the one case that behaves closer to a clipboard translator, and it is the exception, not the default.

Other, for any language

Other opens a one-line prompt to name any language for this rewrite only. It is the ninth slice on Translate's language wheel. Type the destination, press Enter, and Translate runs. Escape, a click outside, or switching away aborts. Other is not a saved preference and it is not the Ask prompt box.

The rest of the wheel

Translate is one slice. For the full in-place rewrite how-to — Retone, Summarize, Fix Grammar, and the same highlight-press-sweep gesture — see rewrite selected text in any Windows app. Mail-shaped drafts are covered on rewrite email. If you want a Windows writing utility that replaces the selection instead of opening a sidebar, that comparison lives on Grammarly alternative for Windows.

Frequently asked questions

How do I translate selected text in place on Windows?

Highlight the text in any editable field, press Win+Ctrl+R, sweep to Translate, pick a language, and the selection is replaced where it sits. You stay in Gmail, Slack, Word, or whichever app you were already writing in. There is no extra tab.

Which languages are on the Translate wheel?

Eight favorites plus Other: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese Simplified. Other opens a one-line prompt so you can name any language for this rewrite only. The pick is not a settings switch.

How is Lightphrase different from QTranslate or a DeepL overlay?

QTranslate and DeepL overlays show a translation in a popup you copy from. Lightphrase replaces the selection in the field you were already in. Translate is a rewrite, so the original is overwritten in place.

Does Translate copy like Reply, or replace the selection?

Translate replaces the selection. Reply is the action that copies a response and leaves the selection unchanged. After Translate, your clipboard is restored.

Can I translate in Gmail, Slack, and Word?

Yes. Lightphrase works in any editable field, including Gmail, Slack, Word, Notion, Teams, VS Code, and browser forms. Read-only page text cannot be replaced; the translation is copied instead and a notification says so.

Is Lightphrase free on Windows?

While it is in early access, yes. Lightphrase 0.1.4 is on the Microsoft Store from Mason Solutions. Every account gets 1,000 rewrites a day, resetting every UTC day. Signing in once arms the shortcut.

Translate in the field you were already in.

Lightphrase 0.1.4 is free during early access. Download the Microsoft Store installer for Windows.

Download Lightphrase