FAQ
Answers about setup, translation, chat, providers, privacy, billing, sync, and troubleshooting.
The basics for installing, linking, and translating for the first time.
Yes. Account access is required to link the extension, refresh license status, and manage devices. Some advanced features depend on your plan, but the extension still needs a linked account for access control.
Install the extension, link the browser to your account, choose a provider and model in Options, then hover page text and press your translation key. You can also use the floating launcher or Word Hint from the sidebar quick actions.
Hover translate is fastest for reading visible text. Word Hint is for keyboard-first users who want to pick words or blocks without the mouse. Sidebar chat is for follow-up questions, explanations, rewriting, and context-aware help.
The default target language is English. You can change it in Options, quick settings, or the target-language shortcut. Prompt-specific settings can override it for selected Writing Assistant prompts.
How on-page translation works and why some sites need safer ways to show translations.
Move the pointer over readable page text and press your translation key. The extension reads the visible text, sends it to your selected provider, and shows the translation on the page.
Word Hint places keyboard labels over visible words so you can translate a word or a detected text block without using the mouse. It is designed for mouseless reading workflows.
Yes. Hover translate and Word Hint can translate a word or a visible text block, depending on what you choose. Sidebar chat can also attach a page section when you want to ask about the page instead of changing text on the page.
Bilingual mode keeps the original text and shows the translation nearby. Translation-only mode tries to show only the translated result, but on complex pages the extension may use an adjacent wrapper to avoid breaking the site layout.
Some sites have page layouts that are easy to break, such as clipped text, links, or locked sections. Showing the translation nearby is safer because it avoids hiding links or damaging the page layout.
Use custom prompts and short commands inside text boxes.
Writing Assistant works inside text boxes and writing areas on a page. It lets you use a saved prompt without opening the sidebar, then insert the answer or ignore it.
They tell the extension where your command starts and ends. For example, a prompt can start with /t and end with ;, so typing /t rewrite this; sends that request to your model.
Custom prompts let you define tone, format, domain rules, glossary behavior, or sentence-by-sentence output. This is useful when generic translation is too casual, too literal, or not formatted the way you need.
Yes. Prompt Library can set a Writing Assistant target language per prompt. When set, that prompt uses its own target language instead of the global translation target.
When a Writing Assistant answer bubble is open, the first Esc removes the command you typed but keeps the bubble open so you can keep typing or still insert the answer. After the command has already been removed, pressing Esc again closes the bubble and returns your cursor to the text box when possible. If you edit, delete, or paste over a command after it has run, the old command is ignored; type the ending mark again to run the new command, even if it looks the same as before.
How to remove translations, clear commands, and close bubbles.
Press Esc when you are not typing in a text box and not using an extension panel. This removes the latest translation on the page and brings back the original text when possible.
Yes. For hover translation, hover text that has already been translated and press your translation key again. The extension removes that translation.
Writing Assistant treats Esc as two steps. The first Esc removes the /command text while keeping the answer bubble available. A second Esc, after the command has been removed, closes the bubble and puts your cursor back in the text box when possible.
Editing, deleting, or pasting over a command after it has run makes the extension ignore the old command. Type the ending mark again to run the updated command.
How BYOK provider setup, model choice, and host access work.
Yes, the extension is built around BYOK provider access. Add an API key for your selected provider in Options, then run Test Connection to confirm the provider, key, and model work together.
The extension supports LLM providers such as OpenAI-compatible endpoints, OpenRouter, Gemini, Claude, Grok, Alibaba, DeepSeek, Moonshot, and custom OpenAI-compatible providers. DeepL is supported for translation-only workflows.
It is any endpoint that follows the OpenAI chat-completions style API. You enter the base URL, grant host access for that exact origin, choose or type a model, and provide the matching API key.
Provider requests are sent directly from the browser extension to the provider you configure. Chrome requires explicit host access before an extension can call that provider origin.
No. BYOK keys are stored in the local extension vault at runtime. If you enable encrypted Chrome Sync or export Secure Backup, encrypted snapshots are controlled by your browser or by the backup file you save.
How account access, devices, and plan status affect extension features.
Linking lets the extension check access, update your plan status, manage devices, and keep account features such as BYOK restore safe across browser visits.
The extension falls back to the features available on your current plan. Pro-gated features stop being available until access is renewed, while local settings remain on the browser.
Free access covers the core extension experience available to your account. Pro unlocks advanced workflows such as Chrome Sync, secure backup/sync conveniences, and other premium features shown in the portal or Options.
Use the portal dashboard to manage billing, linked devices, account settings, and extension downloads. The extension also provides shortcuts back to these portal pages.
What the extension can access, when data is sent, and how permissions are used.
Only content needed for the action you request is sent, such as selected text, a hovered text block, chat text, or attached page-section context. Provider requests go to the provider and model you configured.
No browsing history list is collected or sold. The extension may read the active page content needed for translation or chat actions, and local request history can be stored on your browser for your own audit view.
To translate directly on a page, the extension needs to read page text and show the translated text back on that page. Broad page access lets it work across sites, while provider API access is requested separately and only when needed.
Screenshots are only needed for visual page-section context. The extension can still work with text-only context when screenshot access is not granted or when the selected model does not support images.
The formal privacy policy is available at /privacy/privacy-policy and explains account data, extension data, provider requests, feedback, retention, and contact information.
What Chrome Sync is good for, and when to use Secure Backup instead.
Chrome Sync syncs only the scopes you enable in Options: app settings, Prompt Library, and optionally encrypted API-key snapshots. It moves an encrypted package through your Chrome profile; the passphrase stays local and must be entered on each browser that should unlock the package.
Yes. Create the passphrase on the first browser that writes the Chrome Sync package, then enter that same passphrase once on each other browser using the same Chrome account. Without it, the browser may see that synced data exists but cannot read or apply it.
No. Chrome Sync is useful across Chrome profiles where the extension remains installed, but Chrome may remove extension sync data when the extension is uninstalled. Export a Secure Backup file before uninstalling.
Secure Backup creates an encrypted .yatb file that you control and can store separately. It is the reliable restore path before uninstalling, changing Chrome accounts, or moving outside Chrome Sync.
Only when you explicitly enable the API-key scope for Chrome Sync or include keys in a Secure Backup export. Keys remain encrypted and require the passphrase to restore.
Encrypted Chrome Sync packages and Secure Backup files cannot be decrypted without the passphrase. Store it in a password manager; Your AI Translator cannot recover it for you.
Common reasons translation, chat, shortcuts, or page display may behave unexpectedly.
Check that the extension is enabled on the site, the provider and API key are configured, the model is selected, and the text is long enough to translate. Refresh the page if the site layout changed.
Usually the selected provider URL, host permission, API key, model name, or account quota needs attention. Open Provider settings, grant access if needed, then run Test Connection.
Keyboard navigation extensions can capture keys before Word Hint receives them. Use insert mode, pass-next-key, site exclusions, or the extension-specific pass-through setting when available.
The website, browser, OS, input source, or another extension may already own that shortcut. Pick a less common shortcut in Options and test it on a normal webpage.
Some sites hide, clip, or lock parts of the page layout. The extension may show translations next to the original text instead of replacing it, so the page does not break.
Read the formal data handling terms for the extension and portal.
See planned work for translation, agent workflows, and document support.
Email [email protected] if your question is not covered here.