Turn off captions in three steps

To turn off captions on YouTube TV, open the video you're 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 don't see the CC icon, move your mouse over the video to make the player controls appear.

The CC button toggles captions on and off when ready—there's no menu to navigate or settings to save. If captions are already off, the CC icon will appear white or highlighted. Clicking it again turns captions back on.

Key Takeaways

  • The CC button sits in the bottom right corner of the YouTube TV player, next to the volume and fullscreen controls.
  • Move your mouse over the video if the player controls are hidden; they disappear after a few seconds of inactivity.
  • Turning captions off on one video does not turn them off for all videos—you control them separately for each show or movie.
  • If captions are not available for a program, the CC button will be grayed out and unclickable.

Where to find the CC button on your screen

The CC button is always in the same spot: the bottom right corner of the video player, just to the left of the fullscreen button. It looks like a small rectangle with lines inside it, meant to represent a closed caption box. On a computer, tablet, or phone, the position stays consistent.

If you're watching on a TV using the YouTube TV app or a streaming device like Roku or Apple TV, the CC button appears in the same bottom right location when you press a button on your remote to show the player controls. On some devices, you may need to press up or down on the remote to reveal the full control bar.

What happens when captions are not available

Not every program on YouTube TV has captions. Live sports, breaking news, and some older shows may not have caption tracks available. When captions don't exist for a program, the CC button will appear grayed out or disabled—clicking it won't do anything.

If you need captions for a specific show and they're not available, you can check back later; YouTube TV sometimes adds captions to programs after they air. For live events, captions may be added within a few hours or days of broadcast.

Captions stay on or off per video, not across all videos

YouTube TV does not have a global setting to turn captions off for everything you watch. Each video remembers your choice separately. If you turn captions off for one episode of a show, they'll stay off the next time you watch that same episode—but they'll be on by default when you start a different show.

This means you'll need to click the CC button each time you start a new video if you prefer to watch without captions. If you watch a lot of content without captions, you may find it faster to turn them off as soon as you start playing something new.

Troubleshooting when the CC button won't work

If clicking the CC button doesn't turn captions off, first check whether captions are actually available for that program. A grayed-out CC button means no caption track exists. Try refreshing the page or restarting the YouTube TV app—sometimes a glitch prevents the button from responding.

On TV devices, make sure you're pressing the correct button on your remote to show the player controls. Different remotes have different layouts; look for a button labeled "info," "options," or an arrow pointing up. If the controls still won't appear, try unplugging the device for 10 seconds and plugging it back in.

If captions are stuck on and you can't turn them off, sign out of YouTube TV completely and sign back in. This clears any temporary settings that might be causing the problem.

Using captions in different languages

YouTube TV shows captions in the language of the program by default. If multiple language options are available, you can access them through a menu next to the CC button. Click the CC icon and hold, or right-click it on a computer, to see a list of available languages.

Not all programs offer captions in multiple languages. Movies and shows produced in English usually have English captions; international content may have captions in the original language only. The menu will show only the languages that are actually available for what you're watching.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do captions turn off automatically when I stop watching?

No. YouTube TV remembers your caption choice for each video. If you turn captions off and come back to that same episode later, they'll still be off. When you start a completely different show or movie, captions return to their default state (usually on).

Can I turn off captions for an entire series at once?

No, YouTube TV does not have a setting to turn captions off for a whole series or channel. You control captions individually for each video. If you watch a series regularly without captions, you'll click the CC button at the start of each episode.

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

Captions depend on whether the content provider created them. Live broadcasts, sports, and some older programs often lack captions. Networks add captions to recorded shows and movies more consistently, though not every title has them available.

What if I'm watching on a TV and can't find the player controls?

Press the up arrow or menu button on your remote to make the player controls appear. On most TV devices, the controls disappear after a few seconds of inactivity to keep the screen clear. If nothing appears, try pressing the button labeled "info" or "options" on your remote.

Can I change the size or style of captions?

YouTube TV does not offer caption customization within the app itself. Your device's accessibility settings may allow you to change caption size, font, or color—check your TV, phone, or tablet's settings menu under accessibility or captions. Changes made there will explore to YouTube TV and other apps.