Turn off captions in three steps

To remove closed captioning on YouTube TV, open the video you are watching, look for the CC icon in the bottom right corner of the player, and click it once. The icon will turn gray, and the captions will disappear. If you do not see the CC button, move your mouse over the video player to make the controls appear.

The CC button toggles captions on and off every time you click it. You do not need to change any settings or go into a menu—one click removes them from that video. If captions turn back on when you start a different video, that is normal; YouTube TV remembers your choice only for the current video.

On mobile devices (phone or tablet), tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the video player, then tap "Captions" to turn them off. The process is the same whether you are using the YouTube TV app or watching through a web browser.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the CC button in the bottom right of the video player on desktop, or tap the three-dot menu and select Captions on mobile.
  • Turning captions off for one video does not turn them off for all videos—you must toggle them for each video separately.
  • If the CC button does not appear, move your mouse over the player or tap the screen to reveal the controls.
  • Some live TV broadcasts may not have captions available, even if the button is present.

Where to find the CC button on your device

On a computer or laptop, the CC icon sits in the bottom right corner of the video player, next to the volume control and the full-screen button. It looks like a small rectangle with lines inside it. If you cannot see it, hover your mouse over the video to wake up the player controls—they disappear after a few seconds of inactivity.

On a phone or tablet running the YouTube TV app, the three-dot menu appears in the top right corner when you tap the screen. From there, tap "Captions" to see your options. If you are watching through a mobile web browser instead of the app, the layout is the same.

On a smart TV or streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, Chromecast), use your remote to navigate to the CC option. The exact location varies by device, but it is usually found by pressing a button labeled "Options," "Menu," or "Settings" while a video is playing. Your device's remote manual will show you which button to press.

Why captions might turn back on

YouTube TV does not save your caption preference across all videos. When you turn off captions for one video and then start watching a different program, captions may turn back on by default. This happens because each video has its own caption setting. You will need to click the CC button again to turn them off.

If you find yourself turning off captions repeatedly, check whether you have a default caption setting turned on in your YouTube account. While YouTube TV does not have a master "always off" toggle like some other streaming services, your main YouTube account settings can affect what appears. Log into your YouTube account, go to Settings, select "Captions," and make sure "Always show captions" is not checked.

When captions are not available

Some live TV broadcasts and older recorded programs do not have captions, even if the CC button appears in the player. This is because the broadcaster or content owner did not provide captions for that particular show. In these cases, clicking the CC button will have no effect—there are no captions to display.

On-demand content (shows and movies you can watch anytime) almost always has captions available. Live sports, news, and breaking coverage sometimes do not, depending on whether the network provided captions in real time. If a program is important to you and captions are not available, you can check back later; some networks add captions to live broadcasts after the fact.

Captions versus other text on screen

Closed captions (CC) are different from subtitles, though YouTube TV uses the same button for both. Closed captions include not only dialogue but also descriptions of sounds—like "[door slams]" or "[music playing]"—which is helpful if you are deaf or hard of hearing. Subtitles show only the spoken words translated into another language.

When you click the CC button, you are turning off whichever type of text is currently active. If you want to switch from English captions to Spanish subtitles (or vice versa), you will need to click the CC button, then click it again and select a different language from the menu that appears. The button toggles captions on and off; the menu lets you choose which language or caption type you want.

Troubleshooting when the CC button will not work

If you click the CC button and nothing happens, first check that the video is actually playing and that you are clicking in the right spot. The button is small and straightforward to miss. Move your mouse away from the player and then back over it to make sure the controls are visible and responsive.

If the CC button is grayed out or missing entirely, the content may not have captions available. Try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the YouTube TV app. If the problem continues across multiple videos, try clearing your browser cache (if you are on a computer) or restarting the app. On smart TVs and streaming devices, restart the device itself by unplugging it for 10 seconds and plugging it back in.

If you are watching on a smart TV and the captions appear on screen even after you turn them off, the captions might be coming from your TV's own closed-caption setting rather than from YouTube TV. Check your TV's settings menu and look for an option called "Closed Captions," "CC," or "Subtitles." Turn that off separately from the YouTube TV CC button.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off captions for all YouTube TV videos at once?

No. YouTube TV does not have a master setting to turn off captions for every video. You must toggle captions off for each video individually by clicking the CC button. However, you can check your YouTube account settings to make sure "Always show captions" is not turned on, which may reduce how often captions appear by default.

Will turning off captions on one device turn them off on all my devices?

No. Your caption preference is specific to each device and each video. If you turn off captions on your phone, they may still be on when you watch the same show on your TV. You will need to turn them off separately on each device.

What if captions are in the wrong language?

Click the CC button, then click it again to open the caption menu. You will see a list of available languages. Select the language you want, or select "Off" to remove captions entirely. Not all videos have captions in every language.

Do I need to turn off captions in my YouTube TV settings?

No. The CC button in the video player is the only way to control captions on YouTube TV. There is no separate captions setting in the YouTube TV app or account menu. The button you click while watching is your only control.

Why do captions sometimes appear even when I turned them off?

If you are watching on a smart TV, your TV's own closed-caption setting may be overriding YouTube TV's setting. Check your TV's settings menu and turn off captions there as well. On computers and phones, try refreshing the page or restarting the app.