Can I translate text that's inside an image or screenshot?

Yes. TextBoi's built-in OCR reads text from any visual source on your screen — images, screenshots, scanned PDFs, and locked interfaces. Press Cmd+Shift+C (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+C (Windows), drag to select the area, and TextBoi extracts and translates the text instantly.

Do I need to retype text from a screenshot to translate it?

No. That's exactly what TextBoi's OCR eliminates. Instead of retyping, you drag-select any area of your screen and TextBoi reads the text visually — even from image-based PDFs and non-selectable content.

How is OCR in TextBoi different from Google Translate's image feature?

Google Translate's image feature requires you to open the app, point your camera, and wait. TextBoi's OCR works directly on your desktop screen — press a shortcut, drag to select, and the translated or corrected text is ready in under two seconds, without switching apps.

What is the Cmd+C+C shortcut and how does it work?

Cmd+C+C (Mac) or Ctrl+C+C (Windows) is TextBoi's main shortcut. Select any text on screen, then press the copy key twice in quick succession. TextBoi detects the double-press and instantly translates or corrects the selected text — no app switching, no prompts.

Does the OCR shortcut work on PDFs?

Yes. For non-selectable PDFs (scanned documents or image-based files), use Cmd+Shift+C (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+C (Windows). Drag over any area of the PDF and TextBoi's OCR extracts and processes the text, even if the PDF doesn't support text selection.

Is this different from how DeepL or Grammarly handle text from images?

Yes — fundamentally. DeepL and Grammarly require selectable, copyable text. Neither can read content from images or locked interfaces. TextBoi's built-in OCR works on any visual content on your screen, regardless of the source format.

How to Translate Text from Any Image or Screenshot — Instantly

Most AI writing tools have the same blind spot.

They only work on text you can select. The moment the text lives inside an image, a scanned PDF, or a locked interface, they stop working entirely.

You're left with two options: retype it manually, or give up.

TextBoi was built to solve both problems — translating and correcting text you can select and text you can't. Here's how it works.

The Two Workflows

TextBoi has two keyboard shortcuts, each solving a different version of the same problem.

For text you can select: Cmd+C+C

Select any text on your screen. Then press copy twice — quickly.

Mac:     ⌘ + C + C
Windows: Ctrl + C + C

TextBoi detects the double-press and instantly translates or corrects the selected text inline. No browser. No copy-paste. No switching apps.

The result appears where your cursor is — you never leave what you were doing.

For text you can't select: Cmd+Shift+C (OCR)

This is where TextBoi goes further than any other tool in this category.

Mac:     ⌘ + Shift + C
Windows: Ctrl + Shift + C

Press the shortcut. Your screen dims. Drag to select any area — a screenshot, a PDF, an image, an app that blocks copy-paste. TextBoi's built-in OCR reads the text visually and processes it in under two seconds.

No retyping. No camera. No separate app.

Why This Matters More Than You'd Expect

Think about how often the text you actually need to fix or translate isn't selectable:

A screenshot a colleague sent you in Slack with a grammar error
A scanned invoice from an overseas vendor in another language
A product photo with text that needs translating
An error message that only exists as an image
A PDF from a client that was created from a scan

For all of these, the standard workflow breaks down completely.

With DeepL: You'd need to retype the text before you can paste it in.

With Grammarly: It doesn't see images at all — it only operates inside text fields in your browser.

With TextBoi: Press Cmd+Shift+C, drag, done.

For anyone who works internationally, receives image-heavy documents, or deals with locked-format content, this is the single capability that changes the daily workflow most.

The Full Picture: Old Way vs TextBoi

Fixing or translating text you can select

Old workflow (ChatGPT, DeepL, browser tools):

Select text
Copy
Open another app or browser tab
Paste
Type your instruction ("Fix grammar", "Translate to Japanese")
Wait for the response
Copy the result
Switch back to your original app
Paste

9 steps. Multiple context switches. Your train of thought is gone.

TextBoi workflow:

Select text
Press Cmd+C+C

2 steps. You never leave your app.

Fixing or translating text from an image

Old workflow:

Manually read and retype the text from the image
Then go through the 9 steps above

TextBoi workflow:

Press Cmd+Shift+C
Drag over the image
Done

Comparison: Who Can Actually Do This?

Capability	DeepL	Grammarly	Google Translate	TextBoi
Fix grammar in selectable text	Limited	✅	✖	✅
Translate selectable text	✅	✖	✅ (needs browser)	✅
Read text from images via OCR	✖	✖	✅ (mobile only)	✅ Desktop
Read scanned PDFs	✖	✖	✖	✅
Read locked interfaces	✖	✖	✖	✅
Works without switching apps	✖	Limited	✖	✅
Works on Windows and Mac	✅	✅	✅	✅

The OCR row is what separates TextBoi from every other option in this list. Google Translate offers OCR, but only on mobile — and only with your phone camera, not your desktop screen.

Real Use Cases

Non-native English speakers receiving screenshots

A product manager receives a screenshot of an English error message from a colleague and wants to understand it in Japanese. With TextBoi, they press Cmd+Shift+C, drag over the screenshot, and have the translation in seconds — without leaving Slack.

Researchers working with scanned documents

An academic receives a PDF scan of a paper written in German. The PDF is image-based — nothing is selectable. With TextBoi, they drag-select any paragraph and have the English translation immediately.

Customer support teams handling international tickets

An agent receives an email with an image attachment containing text in another language. Instead of copying, pasting, and switching tabs, they drag-select the image area and translate it inline.

Developers debugging foreign-language error screenshots

A developer sees an error message in a localized app that only exists as a screenshot. Cmd+Shift+C, drag, translated. The error is readable in seconds.

What TextBoi Handles, and What It Doesn't

What it does well:

Selectable text anywhere on your desktop (Cmd+C+C) — grammar, translation, tone, summarization
Image-based text on your screen (Cmd+Shift+C OCR) — same operations, no retyping
Works across every desktop app on macOS and Windows

What it doesn't do:

Bulk document translation (DeepL is better for uploading and translating entire files)
Real-time correction as you type (Grammarly handles passive correction better)
Mobile (TextBoi is a desktop app only)

Being honest about this matters. TextBoi is the fastest path for on-demand, inline writing assistance — including OCR. It's not designed to replace specialized document translation tools for bulk workflows.

The Underlying Reason It Works

The core insight behind both shortcuts is simple:

Most writing friction isn't about AI quality. It's about the steps between having text and fixing it.

Every app-switch is a micro-interruption. Every copy-paste is a broken thought. Multiply those by dozens of daily writing tasks and the cost adds up — not just in time, but in the quality of what you produce.

Cmd+C+C removes the interruption for selectable text.

Cmd+Shift+C removes the interruption for everything else.

Try It

The demo on this page simulates the Cmd+C+C workflow on selectable text. The real app runs everywhere — Gmail, Slack, Google Docs, Notion, PDFs, and any other desktop app.