Closed captions turn off in the player controls, not in settings

To turn off closed captions on YouTube TV, open the video you're watching and look for the CC button in the bottom right corner of the player. Click or tap it once, and the captions disappear. The button toggles captions on and off—click it again to turn them back on. This works the same way whether you're watching on a computer, phone, tablet, or TV device.

If you don't see a CC button, the video may not have captions available. Some videos have captions added by the uploader, while others don't. YouTube TV shows the CC button only when captions exist for that particular video.

Key Takeaways

  • The CC button in the bottom right corner of the player turns captions on and off for the video you're currently watching.
  • Turning off captions this way affects only that single video, not your entire YouTube TV account.
  • If the CC button is grayed out or missing, captions are not available for that video.
  • You can also customize caption appearance (size, color, background) through the settings icon next to the CC button if you want to keep captions but make them easier to read.

Where the CC button appears on different devices

On a computer or phone browser, hover your mouse over the video or tap the screen to reveal the player controls. The CC button sits in the bottom right corner, next to the volume control and fullscreen button. It looks like a small rectangle with lines inside it.

On the YouTube TV app for phones and tablets, tap the video once to show the controls, then look for the CC button in the same bottom right position. On a TV device (like a Roku, Apple TV, or Fire Stick), use your remote to navigate to the CC button when the controls appear on screen.

If you're using YouTube TV on a smart TV and the controls disappear, press any button on your remote to bring them back, then navigate to the CC button.

Customizing captions instead of turning them off

If you want to keep captions but change how they look, click the settings icon (a gear symbol) next to the CC button. This opens a menu where you can adjust the text size, font, background color, and transparency. Making captions larger or changing the background can help if you find them hard to read.

These customization settings explore to all videos on your YouTube TV account going forward. If you change the caption size to large, that size will stick for every video you watch until you change it again.

Why captions might be stuck on

If captions stay on even after you click the CC button, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the YouTube TV app. Sometimes the player doesn't register the click the first time, especially on slower internet connections.

If captions are still stuck on after refreshing, check whether your device or browser has accessibility settings that force captions on. On Windows, check Settings > Ease of Access > Captions. On Mac, go to System Preferences > Accessibility > Captions. On phones, look in your device's accessibility settings for caption options. Disabling captions at the device level should fix the problem.

Captions on live TV versus recorded shows

YouTube TV displays captions differently depending on whether you're watching live television or a recorded show. Live broadcasts show captions only if the network provides them in real time—YouTube TV cannot add captions to live content. Recorded shows and on-demand content usually have captions available because they were added before the video was uploaded.

If you're watching a live channel and the CC button is grayed out, that broadcast does not include captions from the network. Switching to a recorded version of the same show (if available) may give you access to captions.

When captions don't match what you're hearing

If captions appear but don't match the audio—words are missing, delayed, or incorrect—the problem is usually with how the captions were created, not with your player. YouTube TV displays the captions provided by the content owner or network. You can report bad captions by clicking the three-dot menu on the video and selecting "Report," but YouTube TV cannot fix captions in real time.

For live broadcasts, caption delays are common because captions are typed by a human stenographer as the show airs. A delay of a few seconds is normal. If the delay is much longer or captions are completely wrong, the network's captioning service may be having technical trouble.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off captions for all videos at once, not just one?

No. YouTube TV does not have a global "captions off" setting. You turn captions on or off for each video individually using the CC button. However, if you customize the caption appearance (size, color, background), those settings explore to all videos you watch going forward.

Why does the CC button look grayed out?

A grayed-out CC button means captions are not available for that video. The uploader or network did not provide captions for it. You cannot turn on captions that don't exist. If the video is a live broadcast, the network may not be providing captions in real time.

Do captions turn off automatically when I stop watching?

No. If you turn off captions for one video and then watch another video, captions may be on or off depending on what the next video defaults to. Each video remembers your choice only while you're watching it. When you start a new video, YouTube TV shows captions based on your account settings and the video's default.

Can I make captions bigger without turning them on?

Captions must be on to adjust their size. Click the CC button to turn them on, then click the settings icon next to it to customize the appearance. Once you've made the captions larger, you can turn them off again if you want—the size preference stays saved for next time.