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Installing Plugins

Plugins extend QTranslate with new translation engines, OCR providers, TTS services, and more. They are standard JAR files that you install through the Settings panel.

Installing a plugin

  1. Download the plugin .jar file from its repository or release page
  2. In QTranslate, open Settings → Plugins
  3. Click Install Plugin…
  4. Select the .jar file
  5. The plugin appears in the list — enable it with the Enable button
  6. If the plugin requires configuration (API key, region, etc.), click Configure… and fill in the fields
  7. Open Settings → Services & Presets and assign the new service to your active preset

Configuring a plugin

Most plugins that connect to external APIs require at least an API key.

  1. Go to Settings → Plugins
  2. Select the plugin in the list
  3. Click Configure…
  4. Fill in the required fields (marked with a red *)
  5. Click Save

The configuration is stored securely in your QTranslate data folder. It is never sent anywhere except to the API the plugin connects to.

Enabling and disabling plugins

You can enable or disable any plugin without uninstalling it. A disabled plugin's services become unavailable until you re-enable it.

  • Enable — click Enable in the plugin detail panel
  • Disable — click Disable in the plugin detail panel
  • Disabled plugins are remembered across restarts

Uninstalling a plugin

  1. Go to Settings → Plugins
  2. Select the plugin
  3. Click Uninstall
  4. Confirm the prompt

This removes the JAR and all stored plugin data (configuration, keys, cache). It cannot be undone.

Plugin verification

When QTranslate detects that a plugin JAR has changed since the last run (different file hash), it pauses the plugin in Awaiting Verification state. This protects you from accidentally running a modified or replaced JAR.

You will see two options:

  • Accept Update — keep existing plugin data and re-enable. Use this when you intentionally updated the plugin.
  • Clean Install — wipe all plugin data and start fresh. Use this if you're unsure about the change.

Troubleshooting

Plugin shows as Failed Check the error message in the plugin detail panel. Common causes:

  • The plugin was built for a different API version — get a newer version of the plugin
  • A dependency is missing from the plugin JAR — contact the plugin author

Plugin installed but services don't appear in the dropdowns Go to Settings → Services & Presets and check the dropdowns — the service may be there but not assigned to your active preset.

Safety note

QTranslate loads third-party plugin JARs at runtime. Install only plugins from sources you trust. A malicious plugin has full access to the JVM and can read your API keys from the settings store. We review plugins before listing them in the README, but we cannot guarantee the safety of every third-party plugin.