What Google Translate is
Highlighting or right-clicking text brings up a Translate icon that shows the translation in place, and an option can display translations automatically whenever you highlight text. The listing notes that whole-page translation was removed from the extension because Chrome now handles it natively.
Feature coverage
- Translate icon on highlighted or right-clicked text
- Optional automatic translation on every highlight
- Translations from Google's own translation service
What stands out
- Enormous public footprint and rating sample
- Published by Google and updated in July 2026
- Free, with no paid tier or upsell
Tradeoffs to know
- Chrome now has built-in selection and page translation
- No longer translates whole pages itself
- Listing discloses location, user activity, and website content
Is Google Translate safe to use?
Yes, for everyday reading. It is Google's own extension with a vast public record and a 2026 update. It runs on the pages you visit to catch highlights, and its listing discloses location, user activity, and website content, so keep confidential text out of it.
Page access Broad
Requests page-content access across sites. Broad access is not itself a red flag — the question is whether the job justifies the reach, and whether the publisher's record earns it.
To show its Translate icon whenever you highlight text, the extension runs on the pages you visit, and the text you translate goes to Google. If you only translate occasionally, Chrome's built-in right-click translation avoids the extra extension; otherwise set its site access to on click in Chrome's extension settings.
Store-disclosed data
- Location
- User activity
- Website content
The listing discloses location, user activity, and website content, and installing the extension means accepting Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Highlighted text is processed by Google's translation service, so keep confidential passages, client material, and unpublished work out of it.
Is the Google Translate extension still supported?
Yes. Google still publishes it and the store record shows a July 2026 update. Its scope has narrowed, though: the listing says whole-page translation moved into Chrome itself, so the extension now handles highlighted and right-clicked text.
What data does the Google Translate extension collect?
The listing discloses three categories: location, user activity, and website content. Text you translate is sent to Google's translation service, and installing the extension means accepting Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Do I need the extension if Chrome already translates?
Often not. Google's Chrome help documents built-in translation of whole pages and, through the right-click menu, of selected text. The extension mainly adds an icon on every highlight and an option to show translations automatically.
How we judge this: our extension safety guide · how we rate
Pricing
Free, with no paid tier. Pricing and plan limits change more often than store metadata, so use the linked developer page as the final check before subscribing.
Alternatives
Sources
We used the official Chrome Web Store listing and first-party developer material. Public metrics can change after the fact-check date.
- Chrome Web Store listing
Rating, rating count, public users, version, update date, and publisher disclosures verified 2026-10-12.
- Google Translate product documentation
First-party product, feature, support, or project documentation used for workflow context.
- Extension Reviewer methodology
How public claims, permissions, evidence, and tradeoffs are reviewed.
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