01
Highlight
Press the global shortcut from any app — your browser, a PDF, a terminal, a design tool — and drag a box around whatever you want to understand.
How it works
three steps, a couple of secondsThere's nothing to copy, paste, or upload. Instead of switching to a chat window and describing what you're looking at, you point ScreenLens straight at it and read the answer in place.
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It reads the context
ScreenLens captures just that region and sends it to the AI model of your choice, which reads the text, code, or image and works out what it means.
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Get your answer
An explanation or translation appears in seconds, in your own language. Ask a follow-up if you need more, then close it and carry on.
What does it do?
highlight · get your answerJust highlight
One global shortcut lets you highlight anything on your screen and get an answer in seconds — no copy-paste, no switching windows, no describing what you see.
Context aware
ScreenLens understands what you highlighted from the pixels themselves, so it works on text, code, diagrams and screenshots alike — desktop app or web.
Multilingual
Get the explanation or translation of a highlighted element in your own language — read a foreign menu, email or document without leaving what you're doing.
Bring your own key
Free with your own Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini key. Keys stay on your device and requests go straight to your provider — ScreenLens never sees them.
Managed plan
No keys, no setup. Sign in and we handle the models for a flat monthly price — ideal if you'd rather not manage a provider account.
Private by design
Highlighted regions are processed to produce your answer and then discarded. Nothing you capture is stored on our servers.
What can you use it for?
a few of the everyday onesTranslate on-screen text
Read a foreign-language website, menu, email, or game UI. Highlight it and get a translation in your own language — even in apps that have no copy button.
Decode error messages
Stuck on a cryptic error or stack trace? Highlight it to get a plain-English explanation of what went wrong and what to try next.
Understand unfamiliar code
Point ScreenLens at a snippet in a repo, a tutorial, or a screenshot and get a line-by-line explanation of what it does — no need to retype it into a chat.
Make sense of charts
Highlight a chart, dashboard, or table and ask what it's showing, what the trend is, or what a particular metric means.
Explain any interface
Not sure what a setting, icon, or dialog does? Highlight it and get a quick explanation instead of digging through a help centre.
Learn as you browse
Define a term, summarise a dense paragraph, or get context on a concept the moment you meet it, without breaking your flow.
Plans
free BYOK · cloud · enterpriseBring Your Own Key
Free
Your own provider API keys, stored locally. Supports Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini and more. Unlimited use — you only pay your provider for what you send.
Download the app for freeCloud
$5 / month
We provide everything.
No keys, no setup.
400 requests / month.
Enterprise
Custom
Integration with your models, your infrastructure, and your policies.
Contact usFAQ
about ScreenLensIs ScreenLens a browser extension or a desktop app?
A desktop app for macOS and Windows. Because it runs on your desktop, the global shortcut works in every app — your browser, a PDF reader, a terminal, a design tool — not just in web pages.
Do I need an account to use ScreenLens?
No. Download the app and use the free bring-your-own-key mode with no account at all. You only sign in if you choose the managed Cloud plan, where we handle the models for you.
Which platforms are supported?
macOS and Windows. Grab the download for your operating system from the top of this page.
How does the free bring-your-own-key mode work?
Add your own Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini API key and it stays on your device. Requests go straight to your provider and are billed by them, so ScreenLens itself is free with no request limit.
Which AI models can I use?
In bring-your-own-key mode you choose the provider and model — for example Claude from Anthropic, GPT models from OpenAI, or Gemini from Google. The managed Cloud plan picks a capable model for you so there's nothing to configure.
What languages can it translate?
ScreenLens relies on the AI model you're using, so it handles the wide range of languages those models support, and it can reply in whichever language you prefer.
What does the managed Cloud plan include?
No keys and no setup: sign in and we run the models for a flat $5 / month, with 400 requests per month included. Manage or cancel it any time from your account.
Is what I highlight stored anywhere?
No. Highlighted content is processed to produce your answer and then discarded. Nothing you capture is stored on our servers.
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Questions or feedback?
a reply within 2 business daysHit a snag, want another AI provider supported, or have feedback on ScreenLens? Send us a note and we'll get back to you.
Prefer to talk it through? Book a 30-min call →