Turn off captions in three steps

Closed captions on YouTube TV turn off through the playback controls at the bottom of the video. While the video is playing, look for the CC icon in the bottom right corner of the player — it looks like a rectangle with lines inside. Click or tap it once to disable captions. The icon will dim or change appearance to show captions are now off.

If you don't see the CC icon, move your mouse over the video or tap the screen to bring up the playback controls. The controls appear automatically when you start watching and disappear after a few seconds of inactivity. The CC button sits to the left of the volume control and the fullscreen button.

Once you turn captions off for one video, they stay off as you watch other content — YouTube TV remembers your choice. If you turn them back on later, that setting also sticks until you change it again.

Key Takeaways

  • The CC icon in the bottom right corner of the video player toggles captions on and off with a single click or tap.
  • If the playback controls are hidden, move your mouse over the video or tap the screen to make them visible.
  • YouTube TV saves your caption preference, so turning them off once keeps them off across all videos until you change the setting.
  • On mobile devices, the CC button appears in the same location as on a computer — bottom right of the player.
  • Some live channels may not offer captions, in which case the CC icon will be grayed out or absent.

Where the CC button is located on different devices

On a computer or tablet, the CC icon sits in the bottom right corner of the video player, next to the settings gear icon. On a phone, the layout is the same — the button appears in the same corner when you tap the screen to reveal controls. The icon looks identical across all devices: a small rectangle with horizontal lines representing text.

If you're watching on a TV connected to YouTube TV through a streaming device like Roku, Apple TV, or Google Chromecast, the CC button is still in the bottom right. Use your remote to navigate to it and press select. Some TV remotes have a dedicated button for captions — check your remote's manual to see if yours does.

What happens if captions won't turn off

If clicking the CC button doesn't work, refresh the page or restart the app. Close YouTube TV completely and open it again. This clears temporary glitches that sometimes lock the caption setting in place.

On mobile apps, try closing the app from your device's app switcher rather than just pressing the back button. Swipe up (on iPhone) or swipe left (on Android) to fully close the app, then reopen it. If the problem persists, uninstall and reinstall the YouTube TV app — this fixes deeper software conflicts that a straightforward restart won't solve.

If captions still won't turn off after reinstalling, the issue may be with your account settings rather than the player itself. Check the next section for account-level caption controls.

Turning off captions at the account level

YouTube TV also has a caption setting in your account preferences that can override the video player controls. Sign in to your YouTube account on a computer, click your profile picture in the top right corner, and select Settings. On the left side, click Captions.

In the Captions menu, you'll see options for caption size, font, background color, and window opacity. At the top, there's a toggle for Captions (CC) — make sure it's turned off. If it's on, captions will appear by default on all videos, even if you turn them off in the player. Turning this off at the account level means captions won't appear unless you manually turn them on.

These account settings explore across YouTube and YouTube TV on all your devices. If you share your account with family members, changing this setting affects everyone using that account.

Captions on live TV channels versus on-demand content

Live TV channels on YouTube TV may or may not broadcast captions depending on the channel and the program. News channels almost always include captions, but sports and entertainment channels vary. If a live program doesn't include captions from the broadcaster, the CC button will be grayed out or missing entirely — there's nothing to turn off because no captions are being sent.

On-demand shows and movies usually have captions available, so the CC button will be active. If a title doesn't have captions, YouTube TV will show a message saying captions aren't available for that content. This is a limitation of the content itself, not a setting you can change.

Why captions might turn back on automatically

If you've turned off captions but they keep reappearing, check whether you have captions enabled in your account settings (see the section above). You may also have a device-level accessibility setting that forces captions on. On most phones and tablets, accessibility settings can override app-level controls.

On iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captioning and make sure Closed Captions + SDH is turned off. On Android, go to Settings > Accessibility > Captions and turn off the caption setting. These device-level controls explore to all apps, including YouTube TV, so disabling them will let the app's CC button work normally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off captions for just one video?

Yes. Click the CC button while watching that video, and captions turn off for that video and all others going forward. Your choice stays saved until you click the CC button again to turn captions back on.

Does turning off captions affect other people watching on my account?

If you change the setting in your account preferences (Settings > Captions), it affects everyone signed into that account across all devices. If you turn off captions using the CC button on the video player, it only affects your current viewing session on that device.

What if the CC button is grayed out?

A grayed-out CC button means captions aren't available for that specific video or live program. The broadcaster or content provider didn't include captions, so there's nothing to turn on or off. This is common on some live sports and entertainment channels.

Will turning off captions on my phone also turn them off on my TV?

No. The CC button on each device controls captions only on that device. If you want captions off everywhere, turn them off in your account settings (Settings > Captions) rather than using the video player button.

How do I turn captions back on if I've turned them off?

Click the CC button again — it's in the same spot in the bottom right corner. If you turned them off in your account settings, go back to Settings > Captions and turn the toggle back on.