Turn on closed captions in your YouTube TV account settings

Closed captions on YouTube TV are controlled through your account settings, not through individual shows. Once you turn them on, they appear by default on all content that offers them — though you can still turn them off for a single show if you need to. The setting takes about 30 seconds to change and applies across all devices where you watch YouTube TV.

Open YouTube TV in a web browser or the app on your phone, tablet, or streaming device. Look for your profile icon in the top right corner and select it. From the menu that appears, choose Settings. Scroll down to find Captions and toggle it on. The change saves automatically.

If you are watching on a TV connected to YouTube TV through a device like a Roku, Apple TV, or Google TV, the same setting applies — you do not need to adjust captions separately on each device. Your account preference follows you.

Key Takeaways

  • Closed captions are turned on through your YouTube TV account settings, not through the player itself.
  • Once enabled, captions appear automatically on all shows and channels that offer them.
  • You can still turn captions off for a single program without changing your account setting.
  • The caption setting applies across all devices — phone, tablet, computer, and TV — once you change it in Settings.
  • Not all programs offer captions; availability depends on what the network or content provider has made available.

Turn captions on or off for a single show

If you have captions turned on in your account settings but want to watch one show without them, you can disable captions just for that program. While the show is playing, look for the CC icon in the player controls at the bottom of the screen. Click or tap it to toggle captions off for that show only.

The same button works in reverse: if you have captions turned off in your account settings, you can turn them on for a single show by tapping the CC icon. Your account setting remains unchanged — the next show you watch will follow your default preference.

What to do if captions are not appearing

If you have turned on captions in your settings but they are not showing up, the most common reason is that the program does not offer captions. Not all content on YouTube TV includes closed captions — it depends on whether the network or content provider has made them available. Live sports, breaking news, and some older programs are less likely to have captions.

If captions should be available but are not showing, try refreshing the page or restarting the YouTube TV app. On a TV device, restart the app by closing it completely and opening it again. If the problem continues, sign out of your YouTube TV account, wait a few seconds, and sign back in. This clears any temporary glitches that might be blocking the captions from loading.

You can also check whether captions exist for a show by looking at the CC icon in the player. If the icon is grayed out or missing, captions are not available for that content. If the icon is bright or highlighted, captions are available and should appear when you click it.

Adjust caption appearance and size

YouTube TV lets you change how captions look — their size, color, background, and font. While a show is playing, look for the settings icon (usually three dots or a gear) in the player controls. Select Captions or Subtitle settings from the menu that appears.

From there, you can adjust text size from small to large, change the font, alter the text color, and add a background color or opacity. These changes explore to all captions across YouTube TV once you save them. If you want captions to be easier to read on your TV, making the text larger and adding a dark background usually helps the most.

Captions on different YouTube TV devices

The steps to turn on captions are slightly different depending on what device you are using, but the account setting is the same everywhere. On a computer or phone, go to Settings from your profile menu. On a TV device like Roku, Apple TV, or Google TV, navigate to Settings using your remote, then find Captions in the menu.

Some TV devices show the Settings option in the main menu; others hide it under your profile. If you cannot find Settings on your TV device, check the app's help section or look for a gear icon in the top corner of the screen. Once you turn captions on in your account, they work the same way on every device.

Why captions might be off by default

YouTube TV does not turn captions on automatically for new accounts. You have to enable them yourself through Settings. This is different from some other streaming services that offer a choice when you first sign up. If you want captions every time you watch, you need to turn them on once in your account settings and they will stay on.

If someone else uses your YouTube TV account and turns captions off, that change affects your account too — the setting is shared across all users on the same account. If you have multiple people watching on your account and they have different caption preferences, each person would need to toggle the CC button on or off for individual shows rather than changing the account setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

No. Once you turn on captions in your account settings, they stay on for all future shows and channels. You only need to change the setting once. If you want captions off for a single show, use the CC button in the player instead of changing your account setting.

Will captions work on live TV?

Captions work on live TV only if the network or broadcaster has included them in the feed. Most major networks include captions on live news and primetime shows, but some live events like sports may not have them. The CC icon in the player will be grayed out if captions are not available for that live broadcast.

Can I make captions bigger or change their color?

Yes. While a show is playing, tap the settings icon in the player and select Captions or Subtitle settings. You can adjust text size, font, text color, and background color. These changes explore to all captions on your account across all devices.

What if captions are on but I cannot read them?

Try making the text larger and adding a dark background through the caption settings in the player. If the captions are still hard to read, check your TV's brightness and contrast settings — sometimes the issue is with your display, not the captions themselves.

Do captions work on YouTube TV's free trial?

Yes. Captions work the same way on a free trial as they do on a paid account. You can turn them on through Settings and adjust their appearance just like any other account.