Turn Off Captions in Your YouTube TV Settings

To turn off closed captions on YouTube TV, open the app or website, start playing any video, and look for the CC icon in the bottom right corner of the player. Click or tap it once to toggle captions off. The icon looks like a small box with "CC" inside it. When captions are on, the icon appears highlighted or in a different color; when you turn them off, it returns to its normal state.

If you cannot see the CC icon, move your mouse over the video player (on a computer) or tap the video (on a phone or tablet) to make the player controls visible. The CC button should appear at the bottom right, next to the volume and fullscreen controls. On some devices, you may need to wait a moment for the controls to appear after you tap the screen.

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 player controls are hidden, move your mouse over the video or tap the screen to make them appear.
  • You can turn captions off for one video at a time, or change your account default so captions stay off across all videos.
  • Different devices (phone, tablet, computer, TV) may have slightly different button locations, but the CC icon is always in the player controls.
  • If captions are still showing after you click the CC icon, check your account settings to make sure captions are not set to turn on automatically.

Turn Off Captions by Default in Your Account Settings

If you want captions to stay off every time you watch YouTube TV, you can change your account default. On a computer, click your profile picture in the top right corner and select Settings. Scroll down to the Captions section and choose Off from the dropdown menu. This setting applies to your entire YouTube TV account, so captions will remain off on all your devices unless you turn them back on manually.

On a phone or tablet, open the YouTube TV app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings, then find Captions and set it to Off. The change takes effect when ready, though it may take a few seconds to explore to videos already playing. If you change your mind later, you can return to the same menu and switch captions back on.

Captions May Turn Back On Automatically

Sometimes captions turn back on even after you turn them off. This happens when your account settings have captions set to Always On or when a specific video has captions forced on by the content creator. Check your account settings first: go to your profile picture, select Settings, find Captions, and make sure it is set to Off or Default, not Always On.

If your account settings are correct but captions still appear on certain videos, the video creator may have embedded captions that cannot be turned off through the player controls. In that case, the CC button will not work for those specific videos. This is rare, but it does happen with some live streams or specially formatted content.

Captions on Different Devices

The steps to turn off captions are the same across computers, phones, tablets, and smart TVs, but the button locations may look slightly different depending on your screen size. On a large TV screen, the CC icon appears in the bottom right corner of the player, just like on a computer. On a phone or tablet, it is in the same spot but may be smaller and harder to see on a tiny screen.

If you are using YouTube TV on a smart TV (like a Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV), the CC button is still in the bottom right corner of the player. Use your remote to navigate to it and press select. If the player controls disappear, press a button on your remote to bring them back, then look for the CC icon again.

What to Do If the CC Button Does Not Appear

If you cannot find the CC icon in the player controls, the video may not have captions available. Not all videos on YouTube TV include captions, especially older content or videos uploaded by creators who did not add them. When captions are not available, the CC button straightforward does not show up in the player.

If you believe captions should be available but the button is missing, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the app. On a computer, press F5 or Ctrl+R (Windows) or Command+R (Mac). On a phone or tablet, swipe down to refresh or close the app completely and open it again. If the button still does not appear after refreshing, captions are likely not available for that particular video.

Captions in Live TV and Recorded Shows

Live TV broadcasts on YouTube TV may or may not include captions depending on the channel and the program. Many news channels and major networks provide live captions, but smaller channels or specialty programming may not. If a live program has captions, the CC button will appear in the player controls, and you can turn them on or off the same way you would for any other video.

Recorded shows stored in your YouTube TV library follow the same rules: if the original broadcast included captions, they will be available in the recording. If the broadcast did not have captions, they will not appear in the recording either. The CC button only shows up when captions are actually available for that content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do captions keep turning back on after I turn them off?

Your account settings may have captions set to Always On. Go to your profile picture, select Settings, find Captions, and change it to Off or Default. If captions still turn back on, the video creator may have forced captions on that specific video, which overrides your player settings.

Can I turn off captions for just one video instead of my whole account?

Yes. Click or tap the CC icon in the bottom right corner of the player to turn off captions for that video only. Your account default settings remain unchanged, so captions will behave normally on other videos. If you want captions off everywhere, change your account settings instead.

What if I cannot see the CC button on my TV?

Press any button on your remote to make the player controls appear. The CC icon should show up in the bottom right corner of the screen. If it does not appear, captions may not be available for that program. Try pressing the button again or waiting a few seconds for the controls to load.

Do my caption settings sync across all my devices?

Yes. If you change your account default to Off in settings, captions will stay off on your phone, tablet, computer, and TV. However, if you manually turn captions on or off for a single video, that change only applies to that video on that device at that moment.

Can I turn off captions for a specific channel but leave them on for others?

No. YouTube TV does not have a per-channel caption setting. You can only turn captions on or off for your entire account, or manually toggle them for individual videos. If you want captions off most of the time, set your account default to Off and turn them on manually when you need them.