Disable Closed Captions in Your YouTube TV Settings

To turn off closed captions on YouTube TV, open the YouTube TV app or website, start playing any video or live channel, and look for the CC icon in the bottom right corner of the player. Click or tap that icon once to toggle captions off. The icon will no longer be highlighted when captions are disabled.

If you want captions off by default every time you watch, you can change your account settings so captions stay off unless you turn them back on. This takes about one minute and applies across all your devices where you sign in to YouTube TV.

Key Takeaways

  • The CC button in the bottom right of the video player turns captions on and off when ready for that video.
  • You can set captions to stay off by default in your YouTube TV account settings under Playback Settings.
  • Default caption settings explore to all devices you use with your YouTube TV account.
  • Turning captions off for one video does not affect other videos — each one remembers your choice separately.
  • Live TV channels and recorded shows both use the same CC button to control captions.

Turn Off Captions for One Video Right Now

When you are watching any program on YouTube TV, look at the bottom right corner of the video player. You will see several icons: a gear icon for settings, a square icon for fullscreen, and a CC icon that looks like two white brackets. Click or tap the CC icon once.

The icon will stop being highlighted or will change appearance, which means captions are now off for that video. If you play a different video or channel, captions may turn back on depending on your default settings — this is normal. Each video remembers whether you had captions on or off the last time you watched it.

Set Captions to Stay Off by Default

To make captions off your permanent default, sign in to your YouTube TV account on a web browser and go to your account settings. Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select Settings from the menu that appears.

In the Settings page, find Playback Settings on the left side. Look for the option labeled Captions or Closed Captions and set it to Off. Save your changes. From that point forward, captions will be off when you start watching any new video or channel, though you can still turn them on by clicking the CC button if you need them for a specific video.

This setting syncs across all devices where you sign in to YouTube TV — your phone, tablet, computer, and TV. You do not have to change the setting on each device separately.

Where to Find the CC Button on Different Devices

On a computer or phone browser, the CC button is in the bottom right corner of the video player, next to the fullscreen button. On the YouTube TV mobile app for iPhone or Android, the same CC button appears in the same location when you tap the video to show the player controls.

On a TV connected to YouTube TV through a streaming device like Roku, Apple TV, or Google Chromecast, press the button on your remote that shows the menu or options (often labeled Menu or Options). The CC button will appear on screen, and you can select it with your remote to toggle captions off.

If the CC button does not appear, make sure the video is actually playing and the player controls are visible. On TV devices, you may need to press a button on your remote to wake up the controls if they have hidden after a few seconds of inactivity.

What Happens When You Turn Captions Off

When captions are off, you will see only the video and audio — no text will appear on screen. If a show or channel has burned-in captions (text that is part of the video image itself, not an overlay), those will still be visible because they are not controlled by the CC button. Burned-in captions are rare on YouTube TV content, but they do exist on some older recordings or international broadcasts.

Turning captions off does not affect the audio description feature, which is a separate accessibility tool that narrates what is happening on screen. If you have audio description turned on, it will continue playing even after you turn off captions.

Captions Turn Back On — Why This Happens

If you turn captions off but they come back on the next time you watch, your account default setting is probably still set to On. Check your Playback Settings again and make sure the Captions option is set to Off. It can take a few minutes for the change to sync across all your devices.

Another reason captions might reappear is if you are watching on a different account. YouTube TV lets multiple people watch from the same household, and each account has its own caption settings. If someone else in your household turned captions on for their account, it will not affect your account, but make sure you are signed in to the correct account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off captions for just one channel and keep them on for others?

No, the CC button controls captions for whatever you are watching at that moment, but your default setting applies to all channels and videos. If you want captions off most of the time, set your default to Off and turn them on with the CC button when you need them for a specific show.

Do my caption settings change if someone else watches YouTube TV on my account?

No, your account settings stay the same. However, if another person in your household has their own YouTube TV account, their caption settings are separate from yours. Each account remembers its own preferences.

What if the CC button is grayed out or not clickable?

Some live channels do not offer captions, which is why the CC button may be grayed out. Recorded shows and most live news channels do have captions available. If a channel does not offer captions, the button will be inactive and you cannot turn them on.

Will turning off captions affect the audio description feature?

No, captions and audio description are separate features. You can have captions off and audio description on, or any combination. Changing one does not change the other.

How do I know if captions are on or off?

Look at the CC button in the bottom right corner of the player. When captions are on, the button will be highlighted or have a different appearance. When captions are off, the button will look inactive or not highlighted. You can also straightforward look at the video — if text is appearing at the bottom, captions are on.