Private Video Translate

Preview setup

A little setup.
Then just press Start.

You’ll need an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 26 or later, Google Chrome 116 or later, and both downloads below. No developer tools are needed for the Mac app.

Download Mac previewGet Chrome preview
About this preview

The Mac app is ad-hoc signed and has not been notarized by Apple. macOS may block it from opening. Only open software you trust; Apple explains how to review a blocked app in Privacy & Security settings. A managed Mac may prevent installation.

The Chrome extension is not yet published in the Chrome Web Store. This preview uses Chrome’s manual extension installation.

1. Install the Mac companion

  1. Download and unzip the Mac preview.
  2. Move Private Video Translate.app into Applications before opening it.
  3. Open the app once. It automatically connects to the extension’s identity; you do not need to copy an extension ID or use Terminal.

Once connected, you can close or quit the Mac app. Chrome launches the translation helpers when needed, including after a Mac restart. If you move the app, reopen it from Applications to reconnect.

2. Install the Chrome preview

  1. Download the Chrome preview and unzip it into a folder you will keep.
  2. Open chrome://extensions in Chrome and enable Developer mode.
  3. Choose Load unpacked and select the unzipped folder containing manifest.json.
  4. The setup tab opens on first installation. Use Check connection after the Mac app has been opened from Applications.

Keep the unpacked folder in place. This manual process applies to the preview; a store installation link will be added after publication.

3. Prepare your languages

  1. Open System Settings → General → Language & Region → Translation Languages and download your source and target languages.
  2. Open the extension and expand Translation languages to refresh its language list.
  3. For Tab audio, choose the spoken language. If the source speech model is missing, select Set up languages, then Download speech model. Downloads need internet access.

Video captions mode does not need a speech model. The app does not automatically detect the source language; select the spoken or original caption language yourself.

4. Translate a video

  1. Open a video on a regular website in Chrome.
  2. Open Private Video Translate. Choose Tab audio, or Video captions when the player exposes caption tracks.
  3. Select the source language and your target language. Click Start translation, then keep the video playing.
  4. Use Subtitle position to adjust the distance from the bottom. Click Stop translation when finished.

Seeking clears the previous subtitle and resumes automatically for accessible players. After navigating to a different video, or when an ad stops audio translation, start a new session. After restarting Chrome or your Mac, start a new session from the extension.

Troubleshooting

The button says Set up translation

Check that the Mac app is in Applications and has been opened once. Reopen it to inspect the connection. If you previously used Disconnect, choose Connect extension in the Mac app. Return to the extension setup tab and use Check connection.

No languages or speech model are available

Download translation languages in macOS Settings, then reopen Translation languages in the extension. Tab audio needs a separate source speech model. Some languages or pairs may not be supported by Apple’s engines on your Mac.

Video captions is unavailable or cannot read a track

Choose Tab audio. Standard browser caption tracks and YouTube captions are supported; custom renderers, burned-in subtitles and embedded caption tracks may not be accessible. On YouTube, enable original-language CC if the overlay asks for it.

Nothing appears over the video

Refresh the video tab after installing or updating the extension. Chrome internal pages cannot be translated. Picture-in-picture, native video/iframe fullscreen and protected streams may prevent display or capture; try the normal player view. Audio translation follows speech and can take a moment to appear.

Updating or removing the preview

To update, stop translation, replace the Mac app in Applications and open it again. Replace the unpacked extension files, reload the extension at chrome://extensions, and refresh video tabs. Preview updates are manual.

To remove it, stop translation, choose Disconnect in the Mac app, remove the extension from Chrome, then remove the Mac app. Apple’s downloaded language models are shared system resources and are managed separately in macOS.

Need a hand?

Email jt.tech.invest@gmail.com with your macOS and Chrome versions, selected languages, translation mode and any error code. You can choose what details to include; a recording or transcript is not required.

View release notes and download checksums →