Chrome's built-in Google Translate turns foreign-language pages into your language on Android. Tap Translate from the Chrome menu to convert an entire page, or highlight a few words to translate just that snippet.
The translate prompt appears at the top of the screen with a gear icon. Use it to switch the target language or turn on Always translate for a specific source language.
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Translate Page Content in Chrome on Android
When Chrome detects a page in a foreign language, it offers to translate the text right away. If the prompt does not appear, start the translation yourself from the More menu. You can also use that same option to re-translate a page you already visited.
- Open the Chrome app on your Android phone.
- Go to the webpage you want to translate.
- Tap the More
menu and choose Translate....
- A Google Translate notification appears at the top of the screen, showing the language Chrome will translate the page into.
- Tap the gear
icon on the notification to open more options.
- Pick More languages to change the target language, or pick Always translate pages in that language to make Chrome auto-translate that language from now on.
The page text changes to the chosen language as soon as you confirm. The choice lasts for the current visit unless you picked Always translate. That setting carries over to future pages in the same source language.
Need to send the page to someone else? You can share the website link from Chrome on Android whether the page has been translated or not.
Translate Selected Text on a Page
Full-page translation is overkill when you only need a sentence, a term, or a short passage. Chrome can translate just the text you highlight, leaving the rest of the page untouched.
- Open a webpage in Chrome on your Android phone.
- Long-press a word on the page to start text selection.
- Drag the selection handles to cover the text you want translated.
- Tap Translate in the floating toolbar that appears.
- Read the translation in the panel at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Listen if you want the translation read out loud through text-to-speech.
If the Translate button does not show in the toolbar, your Chrome version may not support inline translation yet. Update Chrome from the Play Store and try again.
Change Your Default Translation Language
If pages keep translating into the wrong language, the fix is under Languages in Settings. Chrome pulls the target language from your Chrome language preferences.
- Open Chrome and tap the More menu.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Languages.
- Tap Translation settings, then tap your current Translate into this language choice.
- Pick a different language from the list and back out of the menu.
The new target language kicks in the next time you translate a page.
On the same Translation settings screen, you can turn off Offer to send pages in other languages to Google Translate if you want Chrome to stop showing the translate prompt entirely.
Bottom Line
Most reading needs don’t require an extra translation app on Android. Chrome handles full pages through the Translate… menu, short snippets through the text-selection tool, and default language behavior through Languages settings.
The translate tool only works on visible text. It does not translate text inside images, scanned PDFs, or video subtitles. For those, a dedicated OCR or subtitle app works better.
If a translated page feels cramped on a phone screen, switch to the desktop site layout in Chrome on Android for a wider view. For a private reading session, open an incognito tab in Chrome on Android before visiting the page.
Related guides:
- Translate a Webpage Text in Chrome on Computer
- Translate a Page Text in Chrome browser on iPhone & iPad
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Chrome translate prompt appear at the top of the screen now?
Chrome moved the translate prompt from a bottom bar to a top notification in 2024. The new prompt shows the target language and a gear icon for more options.
Does Chrome translate every website on Android?
Chrome translates most public web pages. It cannot translate pages that need a sign-in, image-only pages, scanned PDFs, or video subtitles.
How do I stop Chrome from asking to translate pages?
Open More → Settings → Languages, then turn off Offer to send pages in other languages to Google Translate under Translation settings.
Can I translate text I copied to the clipboard?
Chrome on Android does not have a built-in clipboard-translate shortcut. Paste the copied text into the Google Translate app to translate it that way.
