Disable 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 stop being highlighted, and the captions will disappear. If you don't see a CC button, captions may not be available for that video.

The CC icon looks like a small rectangle with two lines inside it. On a phone or tablet, you may need to tap the screen first to make the player controls visible, then tap the CC button. On a computer, the button appears automatically when you hover over the video player.

Captions turn off only for that single video. If you watch another video afterward, captions will return to whatever your default setting is. YouTube TV does not have a master switch to turn off captions for all videos at once.

Key Takeaways

  • The CC button in the bottom right corner of the video player toggles captions on and off for the video you're currently watching.
  • On phones and tablets, tap the screen to reveal the player controls, then tap the CC icon to disable captions.
  • Turning off captions for one video does not change the setting for other videos you watch later.
  • If the CC button is grayed out or missing, captions are not available for that particular video or channel.

Where to find the CC button on different devices

On a computer or laptop, move your mouse over the video while it plays. The player controls appear at the bottom of the screen. The CC icon sits on the right side of the control bar, next to the volume and fullscreen buttons. Click it once to turn captions off.

On a phone or tablet running the YouTube TV app, tap anywhere on the video to show the controls. The CC button appears in the bottom right corner. Tap it to toggle captions. If you don't tap the screen, the controls disappear after a few seconds, and you'll need to tap again to see them.

On a smart TV or streaming device like Roku or Apple TV, use your remote to navigate to the CC button. The exact location depends on your device, but it is always in the player controls at the bottom of the screen. Highlight it with your remote and press select to turn captions off.

What happens when captions are not available

Some videos and live broadcasts on YouTube TV do not have captions. In these cases, the CC button will be grayed out or will not appear at all. This is common for live sports, breaking news, and user-uploaded content that has not been captioned.

If a video has captions but they are in a language you don't understand, you can click the CC button and then look for a settings option to change the caption language. Not all videos offer multiple languages, but many do.

Captions reset when you start a new video

YouTube TV treats each video as a separate viewing session. If you turn off captions for one show and then start watching a different program, captions may turn back on automatically. This depends on your account settings and the default behavior of the app you're using.

If you find yourself turning off captions repeatedly, check whether your YouTube account has a default caption setting. Some users have captions turned on by default in their account preferences, which means they will appear on most videos unless you turn them off each time.

Troubleshooting when the CC button doesn't work

If you click the CC button and nothing happens, try closing the YouTube TV app completely and opening it again. Sometimes the app needs to refresh to respond to button presses.

If the CC button is missing entirely, the video may not support captions. Live broadcasts and some older content do not have captions available. Check whether the video is live or recorded—live events often lack captions because they are not captioned in real time.

On a smart TV, make sure your remote is paired correctly and that you're pressing the right button. Some remotes have multiple buttons that look similar. If the button still doesn't respond, try unplugging the device for 30 seconds and plugging it back in.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

No. YouTube TV does not have a global caption toggle. You must turn off captions individually for each video you watch. If captions keep turning back on, check your YouTube account settings to see if captions are set to on by default.

Why are captions on when I didn't turn them on?

Your YouTube account may have captions enabled by default. This setting applies across all videos unless you turn them off. To change this, go to your YouTube account settings and look for caption preferences. You can also turn them off for each video as you watch.

Do captions work on live TV through YouTube TV?

Live broadcasts sometimes have captions, but not always. Captions for live events are added in real time by a captioner, and not all channels provide this service. If the CC button is grayed out during a live show, captions are not available for that broadcast.

What if the CC button is grayed out?

A grayed-out CC button means captions are not available for that video. This is common for live sports, user-uploaded videos, and older content. You cannot turn on captions if they were never created for that video.