Turn off captions in three steps

Open YouTube TV and start playing any video or live channel. Look at the bottom right corner of the player — you'll see a CC icon (two overlapping white rectangles). Click it once to toggle captions off. The icon will dim or disappear, and the text will vanish from your screen.

If you don't see the CC icon, move your mouse over the video player to reveal the full control bar. The icon appears only when controls are visible. On mobile devices (phone or tablet), tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right of the player, then tap "Captions" to turn them off.

Your choice applies only to that single video or channel. If you close the player and start watching something else, captions may be on again — YouTube TV does not save a permanent "always off" setting across your entire account the way some other platforms do.

Key Takeaways

  • The CC button in the bottom right corner of the video player toggles captions on and off when ready.
  • On phones and tablets, use the three-dot menu and select "Captions" to control them.
  • Turning captions off for one video does not turn them off for the next video you watch.
  • If captions are stuck on and the CC button is not visible, move your mouse over the player to reveal the control bar.

Where the CC button is located

The CC icon sits in the bottom right corner of the video player, next to the volume control and the fullscreen button. It looks like two white rectangles overlapping each other. When captions are on, the icon is bright and clearly visible. When captions are off, the icon may appear dimmed or grayed out, depending on your browser and device.

On a computer, you must move your mouse over the video to see the control bar. If you move the mouse away, the controls fade after a few seconds. On a TV connected to YouTube TV through a streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, Chromecast), use your remote to navigate to the CC button — the exact button layout depends on your device, but the principle is the same.

Mobile and tablet steps

On a phone or tablet, the control bar works differently. Tap anywhere on the video to reveal the controls. In the top right corner, you'll see a three-dot menu icon (⋮). Tap it to open a dropdown menu with several options.

Look for the word "Captions" in that menu. Tap it to see your caption options — usually "On" or "Off". Select "Off" to disable captions. The menu will close, and captions will turn off when ready. Like the desktop version, this setting applies only to the current video.

Captions that won't turn off

Sometimes captions stay on even after you click the CC button. This usually happens because the video creator has burned captions directly into the video file itself — they are part of the image, not a separate layer you can toggle. These captions cannot be removed through the player controls.

If you're certain you clicked the CC button and captions are still visible, the video likely has burned-in captions. The only solution is to find a different version of the video without them, or contact the video creator to ask for a version without captions.

Captions on live TV channels

Live channels on YouTube TV often display captions automatically, especially for news and sports. The CC button works the same way — click it to turn captions off for that channel. However, some live broadcasts are required by law to include captions, so you may not be able to turn them off on certain programs.

If the CC button is grayed out or does not respond on a live channel, the broadcaster is required to provide captions and YouTube TV cannot disable them. This is most common on news channels and emergency broadcasts. You can still mute the audio if the captions are distracting.

Different caption styles and languages

The CC button toggles captions on and off, but if you want to change the caption style, size, or language, you need a different menu. On a computer, right-click the video player and select "Captions" (or look for a "Settings" gear icon in the control bar). This opens options to change the font size, background color, and text style.

YouTube TV displays captions in the language of the video's audio track by default. If multiple languages are available, you can usually select a different language through the same captions menu. These preferences may carry over to other videos, but the on/off toggle itself resets per video.

Streaming device remotes

If you watch YouTube TV on a Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, or Google Chromecast, your remote controls captions differently. Use your remote to highlight the CC button on the screen, then press the select or OK button to toggle captions. The exact button name varies by device — check your remote's manual if you're unsure which button to press.

Some streaming device remotes have a dedicated button for captions or accessibility features. If your remote has one, pressing it may open a menu where you can turn captions on or off directly, without navigating to the CC button on screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do captions turn back on when I watch a new video?

YouTube TV does not save a global "captions off" setting for your account. Each video or channel starts with its own caption state, which is often "on" by default. You need to turn captions off for each video individually. Some other streaming services remember your preference, but YouTube TV does not work that way.

Can I make captions stay off permanently?

Not through YouTube TV's settings. You must turn off captions manually for each video. If you use YouTube TV on a computer, your browser may have accessibility settings that affect captions, but YouTube TV itself does not offer an account-wide "always off" option.

What if the CC button is missing from the player?

Move your mouse over the video to reveal the control bar. If you're on a mobile device, tap the video to show controls. If the CC button still does not appear, the video may not have captions available. Some videos and live channels do not offer captions as an option.

Are burned-in captions the same as regular captions?

No. Regular captions are added by YouTube TV and can be turned on or off. Burned-in captions are part of the video itself and cannot be removed. If captions stay on no matter what you do, they are burned in, and you cannot disable them through the player.

Do caption settings work the same on all devices?

The CC button works the same way on computers, phones, tablets, and streaming devices, but the location and how you access it varies slightly. On computers and phones, look for the CC icon in the player controls. On streaming devices, use your remote to navigate to it. The toggle itself works identically across all platforms.