Grant the app Accessibility permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Then move the pointer over Chinese text in almost any app and hold it still for a moment. A floating panel appears with pinyin, tone colors, and English definitions. Move the pointer away to dismiss.

Press the OCR hotkey, then drag a rectangle over the Chinese text on your screen. Recognition happens on-device using Apple’s Vision framework — no image ever leaves your Mac. The recognised text then opens in the reader view, where hover lookups work as usual.

You will need to grant Screen Recording permission the first time you trigger OCR (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording).

• Ctrl + Shift + H — toggle the hover dictionary
• Ctrl + Shift + O — drag-to-OCR
• Ctrl + Shift + S — save the current word as a flashcard
• Ctrl + Shift + R — open the review session
• Ctrl + Shift + F — filter by HSK level
• Ctrl + Shift + D — delete the current card

Shortcuts can be changed in the app’s preferences.

The free trial and yearly subscription are handled by Apple through the App Store. To manage or cancel:

• Open System Settings on your Mac.
• Click your Apple ID at the top of the sidebar.
• Choose Media & Purchases → Manage… → Subscriptions.
• Select Zhongwen Hover and cancel or change plan.

Cancelling before the current period ends prevents the next renewal; access continues until the end of the paid period. Apple also lets you manage subscriptions at apps.apple.com/account/subscriptions.

Sign in to the App Store with the same Apple ID you used for the purchase, install Zhongwen Hover, and open the app’s Preferences → Subscription pane. Click Restore Purchases. Apple will re-apply the subscription or lifetime unlock associated with your Apple ID.

Refunds for App Store purchases are issued directly by Apple. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in, find Zhongwen Hover in the list and choose Request a refund. Apple decides refunds at its discretion, independently of the developer.

None is sent to the developer. Flashcards, lookups, review history, and OCR captures stay on your Mac. See the Privacy Policy for details.

macOS 13 Ventura or later, on Apple Silicon or Intel Macs. Accessibility permission is required for hover; Screen Recording permission is required for drag-to-OCR. Both are requested only when you enable the feature for the first time.

1. Confirm Accessibility permission is granted in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and that Zhongwen Hover is enabled in the list.
2. Quit and relaunch the app after changing permissions.
3. Make sure the hover hotkey is enabled in the app’s preferences and not conflicting with another shortcut.
4. Some apps render text as images (scanned PDFs, certain games). In those cases use drag-to-OCR instead.

If it still does not work, email us with your macOS version, Mac model, and the app where it happens.

Definitions are drawn from CC-CEDICT, distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. HSK level tagging is derived from publicly available HSK word lists. Idiom (chengyu) recognition is built into the app.