Turning Off Captions in YouTube TV
To turn off captions on YouTube TV, open the video you're watching and look for the CC icon in the bottom right corner of the player. Click or tap that icon once, and the captions will disappear. The CC button toggles captions on and off — click it again to turn them back on.
If you don't see the CC icon, move your mouse over the video player or tap the screen to reveal the playback controls. The CC button appears only when captions are available for that video. Some videos don't have captions at all, so the button won't show up.
Key Takeaways
- The CC button in the bottom right corner of the video player toggles captions on and off with a single click or tap.
- You may need to move your mouse or tap the screen to see the playback controls if they're hidden.
- Turning off captions for one video does not change the setting for other videos — each video remembers its own caption preference.
- If the CC button is grayed out or missing, that video does not have captions available.
Finding the CC Button on Different Devices
On a computer or laptop, the CC button sits in the bottom right corner of the video player, next to the volume and fullscreen icons. If the player controls are hidden, move your mouse over the video to make them appear. The CC button will be white when captions are on and grayed out when they're off.
On a phone or tablet, tap the video once to show the controls, then look for the CC icon in the same bottom right position. The layout is the same whether you're using an iPhone, Android phone, or iPad. If you're using the YouTube TV app, the controls work identically to the web version.
On a TV connected to YouTube TV through a streaming device like Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire Stick, use your remote to navigate to the CC button. Press the select or OK button on your remote when the CC icon is highlighted. Some TV remotes have a dedicated button for captions — check your remote's manual to see if yours does.
What Happens When You Turn Captions Off
When you click the CC button to turn captions off, YouTube TV stops displaying text on the screen for that video only. The audio continues playing normally. If you switch to a different video or show, that new video will have its own caption setting — turning off captions for one program doesn't turn them off for everything.
YouTube TV remembers your caption preference for each video. If you watch the same episode again later, it will still have captions off if that's what you set it to. If you want captions off for all videos by default, you'll need to adjust your account settings rather than turning them off one video at a time.
Changing Your Default Caption Setting
To turn off captions for all videos by default, sign into your YouTube account on a computer and click your profile picture in the top right corner. Select "Settings" from the menu, then click "Captions" in the left sidebar. Choose "Off" from the options, and captions will be turned off automatically for new videos you watch.
This account-level setting applies across all YouTube services, including YouTube TV. However, you can still turn captions on for individual videos by clicking the CC button — the account setting just changes what happens when you first start watching something new.
If you're watching on a TV or mobile device, you may not be able to change the default caption setting from that device. Sign into your account on a computer to make this change, and it will take effect on all your devices.
When the CC Button Doesn't Appear
If you don't see a CC button on the video player, that video doesn't have captions available. This is common for live broadcasts, user-uploaded content, or older videos. YouTube TV can only show captions that the content creator or network has provided.
Some live events may have captions added during the broadcast but not for the recording afterward. If a video you're watching doesn't have captions, there's no way to turn them on — the button straightforward won't exist on that player.
Troubleshooting Caption Problems
If the CC button is grayed out or won't respond when you click it, try refreshing the page or restarting the YouTube TV app. Close the app completely and open it again, or reload the webpage in your browser. This usually fixes temporary glitches with the caption system.
If captions are still not working after refreshing, check your internet connection. A slow or unstable connection can prevent captions from loading properly. Try watching a different video to see if captions work on other content — if they do, the problem is with that specific video rather than your account or device.
If captions appear in the wrong language or are out of sync with the audio, this is a problem with how YouTube TV is displaying them, not with your settings. Try turning captions off and back on, or switch to a different caption track if multiple languages are available. Click the CC button and look for a settings icon or language menu to see your options.
Using Caption Settings for Different Languages
When you click the CC button, a menu may appear showing different caption options. If the video has captions in multiple languages, you can choose which language to display. Select the language you want, and YouTube TV will show captions in that language for the rest of the video.
Some videos also offer "auto-generated" captions, which are created by YouTube's speech recognition system rather than provided by the creator. These captions are usually less accurate than human-created ones, especially for accents, technical terms, or background noise. You can choose auto-generated captions from the same menu where you pick the language.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do captions turn off automatically when I stop watching?
No. YouTube TV remembers whether you had captions on or off for each video. If you turn them off and come back to that video later, they'll still be off. If you want captions off for everything going forward, change your account settings on a computer rather than turning them off one video at a time.
Can I make captions bigger or change their appearance?
Yes. Click the CC button and look for a settings icon (usually three dots or a gear symbol). From there you can adjust the text size, background color, font, and transparency. These changes explore to all videos you watch on that device.
Why do some videos have captions and others don't?
Captions are provided by the content creator or network that uploaded the video. Not all videos have captions available. Live broadcasts sometimes have captions during the live event but not for the recording afterward. If a video doesn't have captions, the CC button won't appear on the player.
If I turn off captions on my phone, will they be off on my TV too?
No. Each device has its own caption setting. Turning captions off on your phone doesn't affect your TV, computer, or tablet. If you want captions off across all devices, change your account settings on a computer instead of turning them off device by device.
Can I turn off captions for just one show or channel?
No. You can only turn captions off for individual videos, not for entire shows or channels. If you want captions off by default for everything, change your account settings. Then you can turn them back on for specific videos if you need them.