The fastest way to disable subtitles

Open YouTube TV and start playing any video or live channel. Look at the bottom right corner of the player — you'll see a CC icon (two overlapping rectangles that look like closed captions). Click or tap that icon once, and the subtitles disappear. Click it again to turn them back on. That's the entire process on any device.

If you don't see the CC icon, move your mouse over the video player or tap the screen on mobile — the player controls appear after a few seconds. The CC button sits to the left of the volume slider and the fullscreen button.

This method works the same way on computers, phones, tablets, and streaming devices like Roku, Apple TV, or Fire Stick. The icon location and appearance are identical across all platforms.

Key Takeaways

  • The CC icon in the bottom right corner of the player toggles subtitles on and off with a single click or tap.
  • On mobile and streaming devices, you may need to tap the screen first to make the player controls visible.
  • Turning off subtitles this way affects only the current video — your next video may still have subtitles on by default.
  • YouTube TV does not have a global setting to disable subtitles for all videos at once; you control them per video.

Why subtitles turn on automatically

YouTube TV defaults to showing subtitles if your account has that setting enabled, or if the video player detects you've watched with subtitles before. This is a YouTube account preference, not a YouTube TV-specific rule.

If subtitles keep turning back on every time you watch, check your YouTube account settings on a computer. Go to youtube.com, click your profile picture in the top right, select Settings, then choose Captions from the left menu. You'll see an option for "Always show captions" — uncheck that box if it's selected. This change applies to YouTube TV and regular YouTube both.

Subtitles on live channels versus recorded shows

Live channels (news, sports, events) may display subtitles differently than recorded content. Some live broadcasts include real-time captions generated by the broadcaster, while others don't have captions available at all. The CC button still works the same way — it hides whatever captions are being shown — but you can't turn on captions if the channel isn't broadcasting them.

Recorded shows and on-demand content almost always have captions available, so the CC button will always give you the option to toggle them. If a live event has no captions, the CC button may appear grayed out or inactive.

Controlling subtitle appearance and language

Once subtitles are on, you can customize how they look. Click the CC icon again and hold, or right-click on the video player — a menu appears with options for Subtitles or Captions. From there you can choose the language (if multiple languages are available), adjust the text size, or change the background color and font.

These appearance settings are separate from turning subtitles on and off. You can make subtitles larger or change their color without affecting whether they display by default on your next video.

Subtitles on different devices

The CC button location is consistent, but the way you access it varies slightly by device. On a computer or phone browser, click or tap the CC icon directly. On a Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, or other streaming device, use your remote to highlight the CC button and press select. The button is always in the bottom right of the player controls.

If you're using the YouTube TV app on a phone or tablet and the controls disappear, tap the center of the screen to bring them back. The CC button will reappear with the other controls.

What to do if the CC button is missing

If you can't find the CC icon at all, the video or channel may not have captions available. This is rare on YouTube TV recorded content but common on some live broadcasts. Check whether the video is live or on-demand — live events are more likely to lack captions.

If the button should be there but isn't visible, try refreshing the page or restarting the app. On streaming devices, restart the YouTube TV app completely. If the problem persists across multiple videos, sign out of your YouTube TV account and sign back in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off subtitles for all videos at once?

YouTube TV doesn't have a master on-off switch for subtitles across all content. You control them per video using the CC button. However, you can uncheck "Always show captions" in your YouTube account settings (youtube.com > Settings > Captions) to prevent them from turning on automatically by default.

Why do subtitles come back on when I watch a different video?

YouTube remembers your subtitle preference and applies it to new videos. If you turned subtitles on for one video, they'll likely be on for the next one too. Turn them off using the CC button, and they'll stay off until you turn them back on or change your account settings.

Do subtitles work the same way on the YouTube TV app and the website?

Yes. The CC button works identically whether you're using youtube.tv in a browser or the YouTube TV app on any device. The location and function are the same across all platforms.

What if a live sports event has no captions available?

Some live broadcasts, especially sports, don't include captions because they're produced by external broadcasters who don't provide them. In those cases, the CC button may be grayed out or inactive. You can't enable captions that the broadcaster isn't sending.