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, then look for the CC icon in the bottom right corner of the player. Click or tap that icon once to disable captions when ready. The captions will stay off for that video and any others you watch in the same session, but the setting resets each time you close and reopen the app.

If you want captions to stay off by default across all videos and devices, you need to change your account settings rather than just clicking the CC button during playback. This takes about 30 seconds and applies to every device where you sign in with that YouTube account.

Key Takeaways

  • The CC button in the bottom right corner of the video player turns captions on and off for the current video only.
  • To make captions stay off permanently across all your devices, change the setting in your YouTube account preferences, not just during playback.
  • YouTube TV syncs caption preferences across devices when you sign in with the same account, so changing the setting once affects all your phones, tablets, and computers.
  • If captions reappear after you turn them off, check whether autoplay is enabled in your account settings, as some videos have captions forced on by default.

Disable Captions Permanently in Account Settings

Open YouTube TV on any device and click your profile picture in the top right corner. Select Settings from the dropdown menu. On the settings page, look for the Captions section — it appears under the "Playback and performance" heading on most devices.

In the Captions section, you will see a toggle or checkbox next to "Always show captions" or "Show captions by default." Click or tap to turn this off. The change takes effect when ready. YouTube will remember this choice the next time you sign in on any device using the same account.

If you do not see a Captions section in Settings, you may be on an older version of the app. Update YouTube TV through your device's app store, then return to Settings and look again. The Captions option appears in all current versions.

Why Captions Keep Reappearing

If you turn off captions but they come back on the next time you watch, the most common cause is that individual videos have captions enabled by their creator or by YouTube's automatic system. Some creators set captions to display by default for accessibility reasons, and turning off your account setting does not override a video's own caption setting.

The second reason captions may reappear is if you are signed out between sessions. YouTube TV saves your caption preference to your account, but if you watch without signing in, the app uses its default settings instead. Always make sure you are signed in with the account where you changed the caption setting.

A third possibility is that you changed the setting on one device but are watching on a different device where you have not yet made the change. YouTube syncs settings across devices, but this can take a few minutes. If captions are still on after waiting, go to Settings on that device and turn off captions there as well.

Turn Off Captions on Specific Videos Only

You do not have to change your account settings if you only want captions off for one or two videos. While a video is playing, look at the bottom right corner of the player for the CC button. It appears as white letters on a dark background. Click or tap it once to turn captions off for that video.

This method works on phones, tablets, computers, and smart TVs. On a TV remote, use the arrow buttons to navigate to the CC button, then press Select. The captions will disappear within a second. If you want them back on, click the CC button again.

Captions on Smart TV and Streaming Devices

On a smart TV or streaming device like Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire Stick, the CC button appears in the same bottom right corner as on phones and computers. Use your remote's arrow buttons to highlight the CC icon, then press the center Select button to toggle captions on and off.

If the CC button does not appear, move your remote or press a button to wake up the player controls — they sometimes hide after a few seconds of inactivity. Once the controls reappear, the CC button should be visible. On some older TV remotes, you may need to press a dedicated Captions or CC button on the remote itself rather than clicking on screen.

To change the permanent caption setting on a smart TV, go to the YouTube TV app's Settings menu using your remote. Navigate to Captions and turn off "Always show captions." This change applies only to that TV unless you sign in with the same account on other devices.

Adjust Caption Size and Style

While you are in the Captions section of Settings, you can also change how captions look — their size, color, background, and font. These options appear below the toggle that turns captions on and off. Changing the style does not turn captions on; it only affects how they appear when they are on.

If you want captions off but need them occasionally, leaving the style settings customized means you can turn them back on quickly without having to adjust the appearance each time. For example, you might make captions larger and add a dark background so they are easier to read when you do use them.

Troubleshooting: Captions Won't Turn Off

If the CC button does not respond when you click it, try refreshing the page or restarting the app. Close YouTube TV completely — not just minimizing it — then open it again and start a new video. The CC button should work on the fresh start.

If captions still will not turn off, clear your browser cache or app cache. On a computer, this is usually under Settings > Privacy or Settings > Clear browsing data. On a phone or tablet, go to Settings > Apps > YouTube TV > Storage > Clear Cache. After clearing the cache, sign back in and try turning off captions again.

On a smart TV, try unplugging the device for 10 seconds, then plugging it back in. This resets the app without deleting your sign-in information. Once the TV restarts, open YouTube TV and test the CC button again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to turn off captions every time I watch?

No. If you change the setting in your account Settings under Captions, captions will stay off by default on all videos and all devices where you sign in. You only have to change it once. If you just click the CC button during a video, captions turn off for that video only and may come back on the next time you watch something else.

Will turning off captions affect other people watching on my TV?

Yes, if they sign in with your account. If other people use the same TV with their own YouTube accounts, they can change the caption setting in their own account Settings and it will not affect yours. Make sure each person signs in with their own account to keep their preferences separate.

Can I turn off captions for just one show or channel?

No, YouTube TV does not have a way to disable captions for specific shows or channels only. You can turn captions off for individual videos by clicking the CC button, but there is no setting to block them from a particular creator or series. Your options are all captions on, all off, or turning them off video by video.

What if captions are in the wrong language?

Click the CC button to open caption options, then select the language you want from the dropdown menu. If the language you need is not listed, that video does not have captions in that language available. You can turn captions off entirely or choose a different language if one is offered.

Do closed captions use more data on my phone?

No, captions are text only and use almost no additional data. Turning them on or off will not noticeably change your data usage. The video stream itself uses the same amount of data whether captions are displayed or not.