Landed on a page in a language you don't read? You don't need an extension or a separate app — Safari on Mac has translated full web pages for free since macOS Big Sur, and it still works the same way on macOS Sequoia and macOS Tahoe. Here is exactly how to do it.
Translate a web page in Safari (the 10-second version)
- Open Safari and go to the page you want to translate.
- If Safari detects a foreign language it can handle, a Translate button appears on the right side of the Smart Search field (the address bar). The icon looks like two small overlapping speech bubbles.
- Click the Translate button and choose your language from the menu.
- The page reloads translated. That's it.
If the button doesn't show up, Safari didn't detect a supported foreign language on that page — it only appears when there's something to translate.
Switch back to the original
Click the same Translate button again and choose View Original. You can flip between the translation and the original as many times as you like. Once you translate one page on a site, Safari usually keeps translating other pages on that same site automatically until you switch back.
Your language isn't in the list? Add it
Safari offers translations into the languages you've set as preferred. To add one:
- Open System Settings → General → Language & Region.
- Under Preferred Languages, click the + button and add the language you want.
- Reopen the page in Safari — if a translation to that language is available, it now shows up in the Translate menu.
Availability and the exact set of supported languages can vary by country or region, so a language available in one place may not appear in another.
Translate just a few words instead of the whole page
You don't have to translate everything. Select any text on the page, Control-click (right-click) the selection, and choose Translate from the menu. A small pop-up shows the translation, and you can copy it or replace the selected text with it. This works in most apps on the Mac, not just Safari.
The translation looks wrong — can I report it?
Yes. Click the Translate button and choose Report Translation Issue. Safari sends that translation to Apple for review so the models improve over time.
Is web page translation private?
Safari checks the language of every page on your device — that detection never leaves your Mac. Only when you actually tap Translate does Safari send the page's text to Apple's servers to be translated, and Apple discards that content once the translation comes back. Your browsing isn't tied to your Apple Account for this feature.
Troubleshooting: no Translate button appears
- The page isn't in a foreign language Safari supports. The button only appears for detected, supported languages.
- The language you want isn't a preferred language. Add it in Language & Region settings (above).
- The page is mostly images or embedded content. Safari translates text it can read in the page's code, not text baked into pictures.
- You're in a region where the feature is limited. Availability varies by country.
Frequently asked questions
Does Safari translation cost anything?
No. It's built into Safari and macOS at no charge — no extension, subscription, or account required.
Which macOS versions have it?
Built-in Safari translation has been available since macOS Big Sur (11) and works through macOS Sequoia and macOS Tahoe. If your Mac is on an older macOS, updating (or upgrading to a Mac that runs a current macOS) restores the feature.
Can I set Safari to always translate a certain language automatically?
Once you translate a page on a site, Safari keeps translating the rest of that site into your chosen language until you pick View Original. There isn't a global "always translate everything" switch, but the per-site behavior gets you most of the way there.
My whole Mac is in the wrong language, not just a web page.
That's a different setting — change your system language in System Settings → General → Language & Region and set your primary Preferred Language, then restart. Web page translation only affects the page you're viewing.
Want to get more out of Safari on your Mac? See our guides on using Reader mode to strip the clutter from articles and Private Browsing on Mac. Browse all our Mac how-to guides.