TransTools installation and system requirements

Quick Navigation

• TransTools system requirements
• TransTools installation instructions
  • Automatic installation instructions
  • Manual installation instructions
    • Procedure to install for the current user only
    • Procedure to install for all users on the computer
  • Individual Component Installation

TransTools system requirements

• Operating system: Windows 2000 or newer version

• Software:

  • TransTools for PowerPoint – Microsoft Office 2007 or newer version
  • Other Microsoft Office add-ins (Word, Excel, Visio) – Microsoft Office XP / 2003 or newer version
    (most tools will also run under Microsoft Office 2000)
  • TransTools for AutoCAD – AutoCAD 2008 or newer version
  • TransTools for BricsCAD – BricsCAD v.21 or newer version
• Specific requirements for TransTools Utilities: .NET installation on Windows 2000 or at least Service Pack 2 on Windows XP or a higher Windows version

TransTools installation instructions

To install TransTools, download it first, and then follow the Automatic, Manual or Individual Component installation guidelines below.

Automatic installation instructions

The Automatic Installer is a quick and easy way to install TransTools on most systems.

No administrator privileges are required to install TransTools in this way.

By default, the Automatic Installer will install the files and add-ins to three user-specific locations:

• TransTools for Word (required component) is copied to the current user's Word start-up directory. Typically, this directory is located at:

  • Windows Vista/Windows 7: 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP'
  • Windows XP/2000: 'C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user_name>\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP'

  Note: 'STARTUP' folder above may be translated in some versions of Microsoft Word such as the French or German versions.

  However, if a custom start-up path is defined in Microsoft Word, TransTools will be copied there.

• TransTools for Excel (optional component) and TransTools for PowerPoint (optional component) are copied to the current user's add-ins directory. Typically, this directory is located at:

  • Windows Vista/Windows 7: 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\AddIns'
  • Windows XP/2000: 'C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user_name>\Application Data\Microsoft\AddIns'

  Note: 'AddIns' folder above may be translated in some versions of Microsoft Excel such as the French or German versions.

• TransTools for Visio (optional component) and TransTools for AutoCAD (optional component), TransTools Utilities (optional component), TransTools configuration file and various other files are copied to the current user's Documents folder. This is typically:

  • Windows Vista/Windows 7: 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>\Documents\TransTools'
  • Windows XP/2000: 'C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user_name>\My Documents\TransTools'

  You can change this path to any folder under the user's profile directory (C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user_name>' on Windows XP or below, or 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>' on Windows Vista and above).

During the installation process, you may get the following feedback from the Installer:

1. Critical error page. If you encounter this page, TransTools Installer cannot install TransTools on your system.

   Possible reasons:

   • You are using the Windows Store version of Microsoft Office, also known as ‘Centennial version’ (usually this is Office 365, Office 2016 or Office 2019). This version of Microsoft Office cannot be detected by the installer because it uses undocumented add-in locations and does not store its version information in Windows Registry. To install TransTools in this case, you need to use the Manual Installation package instead. Read the Manual Installation Notes below carefully, paying particular attention to the instructions concerning the Windows Store version of MS Office (in dark red color).
   • Microsoft Office is not installed or you are using incorrect version of Microsoft Office. Please use the Manual Installation package instead.
2. Warning messages like "Microsoft Word is running. Close it to continue". These messages mean that a particular component (in this case, TransTools for Word) cannot be installed at the moment because another version of the same add-in is already opened in Microsoft Word. If you get such messages, follow the instructions (i.e. close the respective application) and click the Next button.
3. Notification message about uninstalling TransTools for Excel add-in from Excel (for Excel 2003 and earlier versions). Please read Uninstalling TransTools for Excel manually page for more information.

If everything is okay and the installation has been successful, you will be presented with a Finish page. From this page, you may choose to read post-installation instructions, which are also available here.

On completion, a directory is created under the current user's Start Menu. This directory contains shortcuts to TransTools for Visio, Readme file, Translator Tools website, Uninstaller (to remove TransTools from the system) and TransTools Modification program (to add/remove components).

For more information on running TransTools, use post-installation instructions.

Manual installation instructions

Use this installation option if Automatic installation fails, or if you require more configurability (if you specifically want to install only TransTools for Visio or TransTools for AutoCAD, read Individual Component Installation guidelines.

The Manual Installation package may be downloaded here.

There are two distinct ways to install TransTools manually: for the current user only, or for all users on the computer.

Procedure to install for the current user only

1. Find out your Windows user name (explained here). You will need it in a number of places later.
2. Unpack TransTools_ManualInstall.zip into a directory of your choice.
3. If you cannot see file extensions, it is highly recommended to switch extension visibility on. To do this, open Windows Explorer: for Windows 8 and newer versions go to View tab and enable visibility of file extensions, and for earlier versions of Windows go to Tools -> Folder Options, select View tab, uncheck 'Hide extensions for known file types' and then click OK.
4. Move 'TransTools' directory to a directory of your choice. Typically, this is Documents folder under your user profile, but you can choose any folder to which you have write access. Note the new location of this directory (e.g. C:\Users\<your_user_name>\Documents\TransTools).

5. Find Microsoft Word start-up path. Open Microsoft Word, go to Options under File tab, choose Advanced, find and click File Locations... button, and select 'Start-up' parameter. Click Modify... and note the directory. Typically, this directory is:

   • Windows Vista/Windows 7: 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP'
   • If you are using the Windows Store version of Microsoft Office (usu. Office 365, Office 2019 or Office 2016): 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Office.Desktop_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP'. Make sure that ‘Word’ folder above ‘STARTUP’ folder exists, and if it does not exist, then you are using the normal version of Microsoft Office and should use the path for Windows Vista/Windows 7 specified above. If ‘STARTUP’ folder does not exist, create it.
   • Windows XP/2000: 'C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user_name>\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP'

   Note: 'STARTUP' folder above may be translated in some versions of Microsoft Word such as the French or German versions.

   However, a different directory may be set (check Startup parameter under the File Locations tab in the Word Options dialogue).

6. Move/copy the following files to Word start-up path specified above:

   • TransTools.dot [Office 2003 or earlier] or TransTools.dotm [Office 2007 or higher].
   • Copy TransTools.loc to the same directory. Then open this file using Notepad (open Windows Start menu and type 'Notepad' in the search bar). The first line of the file must point to the exact location of TransTools configuration file (TransTools.cfg), which is located inside 'TransTools' folder you have moved previously in section 4. Therefore, you should replace 'TRANSTOOLS-PATH' in the file with the location of 'TransTools' directory.

7. Find Microsoft Excel / PowerPoint add-ins path. For Office 2000 and greater, this directory should be located under:

   • Windows Vista/Windows 7: 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\AddIns'
   • If you are using the Windows Store version of Microsoft Office (usu. Office 365, Office 2019 or Office 2016): 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Office.Desktop_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Roaming\Microsoft\AddIns'. Make sure that ‘Microsoft’ folder above ‘AddIns’ folder exists, and if it does not exist, then you are using the normal version of Microsoft Office and should use the path for Windows Vista/Windows 7 specified above. If ‘AddIns’ folder does not exist, create it.
   • Windows XP/2000: 'C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user_name>\Application Data\Microsoft\AddIns'

   Note: 'AddIns' folder above may be translated in some versions of Microsoft Excel / PowerPoint such as the French or German versions.

8. Move/copy the following files to Excel / PowerPoint add-ins path specified above:

   • TransTools.xlam [Excel 2007 or higher] or TransTools.xla [Excel 2003 or earlier].
   • TransTools.ppam [PowerPoint 2007 or higher].
   • Copy TransTools.loc here as well (make a copy of the file you modified for the Microsoft Word add-in).

9. If you would like to create a custom directory on the Start Menu with shortcuts to TransTools for Visio, move 'TransTools' folder from 'Start Menu (Current User)' directory to:

   • Windows Vista/Windows 7: 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs'
   • Windows XP/2000: 'C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user_name>\Start Menu\Programs'

   Note: If you have changed the default location of TransTools (Documents folder), you will need to update these shortcuts: to do this, right-click the shortcut, choose Properties, and then click Find Target (Open File Location). If it warns you that it cannot find the file/folder, click Browse... and choose the file/folder from its new location. Do the same for every shortcut.

10. In the TransTools directory (Documents folder – default), find "TransTools Utilities 32-bit.exe" and "TransTools Utilities 64-bit.exe".

    1. If your Windows version is 64 bit (check this by right-clicking 'My Computer' and looking under the General tab), delete "TransTools Utilities 32-bit.exe" and rename "TransTools Utilities 64-bit.exe" to "TransTools Utilities.exe".
    2. If you have a 32-bit Windows version, delete "TransTools Utilities 64-bit.exe" and rename "TransTools Utilities 32-bit.exe" to "TransTools Utilities.exe".

11. If you would like to launch TransTools Utilities (required for activating Glossary Search with hot keys from any Windows application) on Windows start-up, move 'TransTools Utilities' shortcut from 'Startup' subfolder of 'Start Menu (Current User)' directory to:

    • Windows Vista/Windows 7: 'C:\Users\<your_user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup'
      (the name of this 'Startup' folder may be translated into your language in localized versions of Microsoft Windows).
    • Windows XP/2000: 'C:\Documents and Settings\<your_user_name>\Start Menu\Programs\Startup'
      (the name of this 'Startup' folder may be translated into your language in localized versions of Microsoft Windows)

    Note: If you have changed the default location of TransTools (Documents folder), you will need to update these shortcuts: to do this, right-click the shortcut, choose Properties, and then click Find Target (Open File Location). If it warns you that it cannot find the file/folder, click Browse... and choose the file/folder from its new location. Do the same for every shortcut.

12. Done.

For more information on running TransTools after installation, use post-installation instructions.

Procedure to install for all users on your computer

Note: if you are on an NT network and/or are not the local administrator, this option requires administrator or Power User privileges.

1. Unpack TransTools_ManualInstall.zip into a directory of your choice.
2. If you cannot see file extensions, it is highly recommended to switch extension visibility on. To do this, open Windows Explorer: for Windows 8 and newer versions go to View tab and enable visibility of file extensions, and for earlier versions of Windows go to Tools -> Folder Options, select View tab, uncheck 'Hide extensions for known file types' and then click OK.
3. Move 'TransTools' directory to a directory accessible to all users (read-only access). Typically, this is C:\Program Files, but you can choose any folder to which all users have read access. Note the new location of this directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\TransTools).
4. If you are on an NT network, you must define read/write permissions to TransTools.cfg file located inside 'TransTools' folder. If it is not possible to do this under C:\Program Files, find another location for TransTools.cfg file which has read-access for all users and write-access to those authorised to change TransTools configuration.
5. Locate Microsoft Word system-wide start-up path. Open Windows Explorer and go to 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office' directory (or another directory where Microsoft Office was installed). Now, depending on your version of Microsoft Office, open one of the following sub-folders: Office 2003 – OFFICE12, Office 2007 – OFFICE13, Office 2010 – OFFICE14, etc. Then open STARTUP subfolder. E.g., for Office XP the complete path will be 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\STARTUP'.
6. Move TransTools.dot [Office 2003 or earlier] or TransTools.dotm [Office 2007 or higher] to this directory. Then copy TransTools.loc to the same directory, and open this file using Notepad (open Windows Start menu and type 'Notepad' in the search bar). The first line of the file must point to the exact location of TransTools configuration file (TransTools.cfg), which is located inside 'TransTools' folder you have moved previously in section 3. Therefore, 'TRANSTOOLS-PATH' should be replaced with the location of 'TransTools' directory or another directory where TransTools.cfg was saved.
7. Find Microsoft Excel / PowerPoint system-wide add-ins path. Open Windows Explorer and go to 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office' directory (or another directory where Microsoft Office was installed). Now, depending on your version of Microsoft Office, open one of the following sub-folders: Office 2003 – OFFICE12, Office 2007 – OFFICE13, Office 2010 – OFFICE14, etc. Then open Library subfolder. E.g., for Office XP the complete path will be 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\Library'.
8. Move TransTools.xlam [Excel 2007 or higher] or TransTools.xla [Excel 2003 or earlier] and TransTools.ppam [PowerPoint 2007 or higher] to this directory. Copy TransTools.loc here as well (just make a copy of the file you created for the Microsoft Word add-in).

9. If you would like to create a custom directory on the Start Menu with shortcuts to TransTools for Visio, move 'TransTools' folder from 'Start Menu (All Users)' directory to:

   • Windows XP/2000: 'C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs'
   • Windows Vista/Windows 7: 'C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs'

   Note: If you have changed the default location of TransTools (Program Files folder), you will need to update these shortcuts: to do this, right-click the shortcut, choose Properties, and then click Find Target (Open File Location). If it warns you that it cannot find the file/folder, click Browse... and choose the file/folder from its new location. Do the same for every shortcut.

10. In the TransTools directory (Program Files – default), find "TransTools Utilities 32-bit.exe" and "TransTools Utilities 64-bit.exe".

    1. If your Windows version is 64 bit (check this by right-clicking 'My Computer' and looking under the General tab), delete "TransTools Utilities 32-bit.exe" and rename "TransTools Utilities 64-bit.exe" to "TransTools Utilities.exe".
    2. If you have a 32-bit Windows version, delete "TransTools Utilities 64-bit.exe" and rename "TransTools Utilities 32-bit.exe" to "TransTools Utilities.exe".

11. If you would like to launch TransTools Utilities (required for activating Glossary Search with hot keys from any Windows application) on Windows start-up, move 'TransTools Utilities' shortcut from 'Startup' subfolder of 'Start Menu (All Users)' directory to:

    • Windows XP/2000: 'C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup'
      (the name of this 'Startup' folder may be translated into your language in localized versions of Microsoft Windows)
    • Windows Vista/Windows 7: 'C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup'
      (the name of this 'Startup' folder may be translated into your language in localized versions of Microsoft Windows).

    Note: If you have changed the default location of TransTools (Program Files folder), you will need to update these shortcuts: to do this, right-click the shortcut, choose Properties, and then click Find Target (Open File Location). If it warns you that it cannot find the file/folder, click Browse... and choose the file/folder from its new location. Do the same for every shortcut.

12. Done.

Individual Component Installation

You can use this installation option if you want to install only TransTools for Visio and/or TransTools for AutoCAD.

Download the Manual Installation package here.

All you need to do is extract two files from TransTools_ManualInstall.zip into a directory of your choice (located in your 'Documents' folder or anywhere else where you can create files):

• TransTools for Visio.vsd
• TransTools for AutoCAD.dvb
• TransTools for BricsCAD.dvb

You are all set!