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How to Translate a Screenshot on iPhone (iOS 27)

Translate text in an iPhone screenshot with Live Text in Photos, the Translate app camera or Visual Intelligence. Steps, supported languages and privacy.

5 min read
Muhammed BasilFounder & maker of Pizazoo

The quickest way to translate a screenshot on iPhone is Live Text in Photos: open the screenshot, tap the Live Text button, then tap Translate. To see the whole screenshot translated in place, import it into the Translate app's camera view instead. Both are built into iOS 26 and iOS 27, and both can run entirely on your iPhone once you download the languages.

How do I translate a screenshot in Photos?

  • Open Photos and tap the screenshot.
  • Tap the Live Text button (Apple's iOS 27 guide calls it the Detect Text button).
  • Tap Translate. You might need to tap Continue the first time, then choose a language.
  • To translate only part of the screenshot, touch and hold the text, move the grab points, then tap Translate in the menu.

Depending on the content, Translate can also appear as a quick action at the bottom of the screen. Live Text needs iPhone XS or later with iOS 15 or later, so any iPhone that runs iOS 27 can do this.

How do I translate the entire screenshot at once?

The Translate app lays the translation over the image, which is easier to read for a menu, a settings screen or a whole chat:

  • Open the Translate app and tap Camera.
  • Tap the Photo Library button and select the screenshot.
  • To change languages, tap a language and choose a different one.
  • To keep the result, tap the Share button and save or share the translated image.

Can I translate a screenshot right after I take it?

Yes, on iPhones with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 or later). Since iOS 26, pressing the screenshot buttons also opens Visual Intelligence. Apple's screenshot guide shows Ask, Translate and Search buttons at the bottom of the screen, and the tools vary with what is in the screenshot. Visual Intelligence can translate text through the camera, too.

On other iPhones, save the screenshot and use Live Text in Photos as described above.

Which languages can the iPhone translate?

Apple's iOS Feature Availability page lists these languages for the Translate app:

  • Arabic, Dutch, English (UK and US), French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean
  • Mandarin Chinese (China mainland and Taiwan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Spain), Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

System-wide translation (the Translate option when you select text in apps) adds Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Malay, Norwegian Bokmål and Swedish.

Live Text has its own language list, and the text has to be recognized before it can be translated. For a less common language, check both lists. They change with iOS updates.

Does iPhone translation happen on the device?

It can, if you set it up:

  • Go to Settings > Apps > Translate > Languages and download the languages you use.
  • In Settings > Apps > Translate, set On-Device Translation to Always, so translations are always processed on your iPhone with the downloaded languages.

With Automatic, translations stay on the device when the languages are downloaded, and otherwise may be processed on Apple servers. That matters for screenshots of bank pages, medical letters or work chats.

Why won't my screenshot translate?

  • No Live Text button? Go to Settings > General > Language & Region and turn on Live Text. If the button still does not appear, the text may not be in a language Live Text can read.
  • No Translate button on the screenshot screen? That needs Apple Intelligence turned on, on a supported iPhone, in a supported language and region. Live Text in Photos works without it.
  • Translation fails offline? If On-Device Translation is set to Always, download both languages first in Settings > Apps > Translate > Languages.
  • Only part of the text translates? Small, low-contrast or stylized text may not be recognized. Capture a closer view of the text and try again.

How do I save a translation into the screenshot?

The built-in tools are best for reading a translation. If you want the translation saved in the image, to share it or keep it in your screenshot library, Pizazoo for iPhone and iPad has a Translate tool in its markup editor. Disclosure: we make Pizazoo.

  • Open the screenshot in Pizazoo, tap the markup (pencil) button, and choose Translate.
  • Pick the target language and tap Translate. Pizazoo reads the text on the device and paints the translation over the original lines.
  • Leave the engine on On-device (the default) to keep everything on your iPhone. The Online option sends the detected text to Google's free translation service, so use it only for text that is not sensitive.
  • Add arrows or notes from the same editor if you are explaining something, then save.

The Translate tool needs iOS 18 or later (the app itself runs on iOS 17 or later). On a Mac, see how to translate text in screenshots on Mac.

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