Turn on closed captions in YouTube TV during live or recorded playback

Closed captions appear as text at the bottom of the video when you enable them. In YouTube TV, you turn them on through the playback controls while a show or channel is playing. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're watching live television or a recorded program, but both take about 10 seconds.

On any device—phone, tablet, computer, or TV—look for the CC icon in the playback controls. It looks like a rectangle with two lines inside it, usually located in the bottom right corner of the video player. Tap or click it once to turn captions on. Tap or click it again to turn them off. The CC icon only appears when captions are available for that program.

Key Takeaways

  • The CC icon in the bottom right of the video player turns captions on and off when ready—no menu navigation needed.
  • Not all programs offer captions; the CC icon will not appear if captions are not available for that content.
  • YouTube TV remembers your caption preference, so if you turn captions on once, they stay on for future videos unless you turn them off.
  • You can customize caption appearance (size, color, background) through YouTube TV settings on a computer or the YouTube app on your phone.

Where to find the CC button on different devices

On a computer or web browser, play any program in YouTube TV. Hover your mouse over the video to reveal the playback controls at the bottom. The CC icon sits in the bottom right corner, next to the volume control and the full-screen button. Click it once.

On a phone or tablet (iPhone, iPad, or Android), tap the video once to show the playback controls. The CC icon appears in the bottom right corner. Tap it to turn captions on. If you don't see the controls, tap the video again.

On a TV or streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, or Samsung TV), use your remote to navigate to the CC icon in the bottom right of the player. Press select or enter to toggle captions on and off. The exact button varies by device, but your remote's center button or OK button usually works.

What to do if the CC icon doesn't appear

The CC icon only shows up when captions are actually available for that program. Some live channels, local news broadcasts, or older recorded content may not have captions. If you don't see the CC icon, captions are not available for that specific show or channel.

If you're certain a program should have captions but the icon is missing, try closing and reopening the YouTube TV app, or refresh the page if you're on a computer. Sometimes the player needs a moment to load caption data. If the icon still doesn't appear after refreshing, that program genuinely does not have captions available.

Customize how captions look

YouTube TV lets you change the size, color, and background of captions on a computer or through the YouTube app on your phone. On a computer, click the CC icon, then look for a settings or gear icon that appears next to it. Click that icon to open caption settings. You can adjust font size, text color, background color, and transparency.

On a phone or tablet, tap the CC icon, then tap the three dots (menu icon) at the top right of the video player. Select "Captions" from the menu. You'll see options to change the caption style, size, and appearance. These changes explore to all videos you watch in YouTube TV going forward.

On a TV or streaming device, caption customization options are usually limited or unavailable. Most TV apps show captions in a standard white text on black background. If you need more control over caption appearance, watch on a phone, tablet, or computer instead.

YouTube TV remembers your caption preference

Once you turn captions on in YouTube TV, they stay on for every video you watch until you manually turn them off. This is helpful if you always want captions, but it means you need to click the CC icon to disable them if you don't want them for a particular show.

Your caption preference syncs across devices if you're signed into the same YouTube account. If you turn captions on while watching on your phone, they'll be on when you switch to your computer or TV—as long as you're logged in with the same account.

Captions vs. subtitles in YouTube TV

Closed captions include all dialogue plus descriptions of sounds—like "[door slams]" or "[music playing]"—which makes them useful for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Subtitles show only the spoken words, usually translated into another language.

YouTube TV uses the term "captions" for what appears when you click the CC icon. The actual content depends on what the broadcaster or content creator provided. Most live TV channels provide captions for their programming, but the quality and completeness vary. Some channels caption everything; others caption only certain programs.

Troubleshooting caption problems

If captions are on but the text is hard to read, try adjusting the caption style through settings (see the customization section above). If captions are cutting off words or appearing in the wrong place, your video player window might be too small. Make the window larger or switch to full-screen mode.

If captions are out of sync with the audio—the words appear before or after the person speaks—this is usually a live broadcast issue, not a problem with your device. Live captions are typed in real time and sometimes lag behind the audio. Recorded programs almost never have sync problems. If a recorded show has out-of-sync captions, try closing the app and reopening it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn on captions for only certain channels?

No. YouTube TV applies your caption setting to all content. If you turn captions on, they stay on for every channel and show until you turn them off. You can turn them off for individual programs by clicking the CC icon, but the next time you watch something, you'll need to turn them on again.

Do I need to pay extra to use captions?

No. Closed captions are included with your YouTube TV membership at no additional cost. The availability of captions depends on what the broadcaster or content creator provided, not on your account type.

Why do some shows have captions and others don't?

Broadcasters and content creators decide whether to provide captions. Most major networks caption their live programming, but smaller channels, local stations, or older recorded content may not have captions available. YouTube TV shows captions only when the source provides them.

Can I read captions or save them as a file?

YouTube TV does not offer a way to read or export captions. Captions are only available while you're watching the program through the YouTube TV app or website. Once you close the video, you cannot access the caption text separately.

What languages are available for captions?

YouTube TV shows captions in whatever language the broadcaster provided. Most live TV channels in the United States provide English captions. Some channels offer Spanish captions as well. The language options depend on the specific channel or program, not on your YouTube TV settings.