For occasional use, Lens is enough
If you translate an image in the browser now and then, Lens in Chrome handles it with nothing to install and no key.
Guide · Google Lens on Windows
Google Lens for Windows.
Lens has no standalone Windows app, but it lives in Chrome, in Google Search and in the Google app for desktop. Here is how to use each one, and what to do when you want the translation on top of the app itself, with no side panel.
Download free for WindowsSee the optionsWindows 10 & 11 · Sincron translates in place with your own OpenAI or OpenRouter key
natsuya.jp/sale
なつやメニュー
期間限定
夏のセール
全品最大50%オフ
8月31日まで。5,000円以上のご注文で送料無料。
今すぐ購入
※一部商品を除く
JA → EN
Same color, same weight, same place. Only the language changes — and only in the part you selected.
Guide · Google Lens on Windows
Can you use Google Lens on a Windows PC?
Yes, in three ways. In Chrome, right-click an image and choose to search it with Google Lens, or have Lens search the whole tab; results open in the side panel, and Google has to be your default search engine. On google.com, use search by image and upload a file. And the Google app for desktop, for Windows 10 or later, opens with Alt + Space and lets you select any part of the screen with Lens.
Lens is free, needs no key and reads text very well in many languages. On a PC, the limit is where results show up: in Chrome's side panel or in the Google app's results, next to what you were looking at. In Chrome, it only reaches what is open in a tab.
When you want to read the translation on top of the app, game or PDF, Sincron Screen Tools translates the selected region with Ctrl + Shift + T and puts the translated text where the original was. It requires your own OpenAI or OpenRouter API key, and the free plan includes 5 translations a day.
Reviewed on October 3, 2026
Step by step
How to use Google Lens on a PC
The first four are Google's and free. The last one is the option for translating in place, outside the browser.
In Chrome: right-click an image
Right-click an image and choose Search with Google Lens. Results appear in the side panel, and clicking a result opens it in a new tab. It works when Google is Chrome's default search engine.
In Chrome: the whole tab
From Chrome's menu, the three dots at the top right, choose to search the tab with Google Lens and select any part of the page. In the panel, the translate option shows the selected text in your language, including text in images and PDFs open in the browser.
On google.com: upload the screenshot
On google.com, click the search by image icon and upload the file, or drag the image into the search box. This is the route for screenshots already saved on your PC, in any browser.
In the Google app for desktop: Alt + Space
The Google app for desktop runs on Windows 10 or later, for users 13 and older. Alt + Space opens the search box; with Lens you select any part of the screen or a window, and you can translate the text. Google rolled the app out worldwide in English in April 2026; check language availability on the official page.
To translate in place: Ctrl + Shift + T
With Sincron Screen Tools, select the region and the translation covers the original text, with a similar color and position. You can switch between an image-faithful layout and pill-style labels, view the original and copy the full translation.
Comparison
Lens on a PC versus Sincron
| Question | Lens in Chrome | Google app for desktop | Sincron Screen Tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Images and pages open in Chrome | Any part of the screen or a window | Any part of the screen: apps, games, PDFs, videos, terminals |
| Where the translation appears | In Chrome's side panel | In the Google app's results | On top of the original text, in the same position |
| API key needed | No | No | Yes, your own OpenAI or OpenRouter key |
| Cost | Free | Free | 5 translations a day free, unlimited on paid plans; the key's provider bills usage |
| Beyond translation | Visual search and text from images | Search across the web, files and Drive, plus AI Mode | Summarize a region, draw on screen and polish screenshots |
Google features checked on the official Chrome, Google Search and Google app pages on October 3, 2026.
Try it
The translation on top of the text
In the panel below, the translated text covers the original in the same position, the way Sincron does it in any app.
natsuya.jp/sale
なつやメニュー
期間限定
夏のセール
全品最大50%オフ
8月31日まで。5,000円以上のご注文で送料無料。
今すぐ購入
※一部商品を除く
JA → EN
Same color, same weight, same place. Only the language changes — and only in the part you selected.
Before you install
What using your own key means
Sincron has no AI of its own. To translate, you create an API key in your OpenAI or OpenRouter account, add credit there and paste the key into the app. The app tests the key before saving it and stores it on this computer, encrypted by Windows.
When you translate, only the selected region goes from your PC straight to the provider you chose, which bills the usage to your account. Sincron does not sit in the middle or charge for translations. A ChatGPT Plus subscription does not cover OpenAI API usage, which is billed separately.
Real limits
When Lens is the better choice
Sincron needs a key with credit
Without an OpenAI or OpenRouter key with credit, Sincron does not translate. The cost of each translation depends on the model you pick and the provider's price list.
No live subtitle tracking
Each Sincron translation is a deliberate action. For subtitles that change on their own, in a video or game, a continuous translator such as Translumo is a better fit.
It does not copy the original text
Sincron copies the translation, not the text in the image. To copy the original, Lens or the Snipping Tool's Text actions do the job.
Common questions about Google Lens on Windows
Is there a Google Lens app for Windows?
Not as a standalone app. Lens is built into Chrome, Google Search and the Google app for desktop, which runs on Windows 10 or later and opens with Alt + Space.
How do I use Google Lens on a PC without Chrome?
Open google.com in any browser and use search by image to upload the file. Or install the Google app for desktop, which brings Lens outside the browser.
Can Google Lens translate my PC screen?
In Chrome, it translates what is in a tab: images, pages and PDFs open in the browser. In the Google app for desktop, you can select any part of the screen. In both cases the translation appears in Google's results, next to the original.
What is the difference between Lens and Sincron?
Lens is free, needs no key and shows results in a panel. Sincron places the translation on top of the original text, in any app, and requires your own OpenAI or OpenRouter key.
Does Sincron send my captures to Sincron?
No. To translate, only the selected region goes from your PC straight to your key's provider. Capturing, annotating and drawing work offline, and no capture is saved unless you save it.
See also
Screen translator for Windows
Read text in images, apps and PDFs translated in place, without copy and paste.
How to translate a screenshot
On phone and PC: the free options, and how to translate the screen without saving an image.
Translate text in an image on PC
Copy and translate, upload the image or translate in place: the 3 ways on Windows.
Read the translation where the text is.
Install Sincron Screen Tools, connect your OpenAI or OpenRouter key and press Ctrl + Shift + T over any text on screen. The free plan includes 5 translations a day; capturing and drawing are unlimited.