“Once you get over that one-inch barrier of subtitles, you’ll be introduced to so many other great movies.” This quote from Bong Joon Ho is one of the best ways to describe how useful subtitles can be, especially if you’re watching content that isn’t available in your native language. So, to help you out, here are all the ways you can turn subtitles on (or off) on YouTube.
While subtitles, also called closed captioning (CC), are an amazing accessibility tool, they can also be a hindrance at times. To help you manage them, we've taken a look at how to turn them on or off on the YouTube website and mobile app.
How to play YouTube subtitles in a web browser
Turning on subtitles on YouTube while using any web browser is as simple as clicking the CC icon. However, it may not guarantee that captions will be enabled for all videos. To ensure this happens, you can also go to the playback settings and enable subtitles from there.
Let's take a step-by-step look at how to play YouTube subtitles in a web browser using both methods.
Method 1: Enable subtitles for a single video
Step 1: Open YouTube On any web browser.
Step 2: Click the video which you want to run subtitles for.
Step 3: Here, click on CC icon.
This will launch the subtitles for the selected video. Now, if language captions are also available, you can also select and change the subtitle language. Here's how.
Step 4: tap on cogwheel icon To open Settings.
Step 5: Click here on Subtitles / CCThis will open. List of all available translations For the current video.
Step 6: You can either click on One of the available languages Or use the automatic translation option to automatically translate translations from an available language to an unavailable language.
This will turn on subtitles on YouTube and even change the subtitle language to your preference. You can also check These Chrome extensions to translate YouTube videos.
Now, if you want to turn off subtitles, tap the CC icon again. Once the red line beneath it disappears, subtitles will also be turned off.
Method 2: Turn on subtitles for all videos
Step 1: Open YouTube on your web browser.
Step 2: Next, tap profile icon Your.
Step 3: Scroll down and tap Settings.
Step 4: Here, go to the tab Operation and performance.
Step 5: check box “Always show captions”This will ensure that YouTube displays captions for videos if available.
Step 6: Additionally, check the box. Include auto-generated captions (when available) To enable translation regardless of whether it is language-specific or automatically generated.
This will turn on subtitles for all videos on this YouTube account.
Note: If you want to turn off subtitles on YouTube, follow the steps above and uncheck the options “Always show captions” and “Include auto-generated captions (when available).”
Good to know: How to turn off autoplay on YouTube.
How to play subtitles in the YouTube Mobile app
The YouTube mobile app can be your preferred option if you use it to watch videos on the go. Let's take a look at all the ways to enable subtitles in the YouTube Android and iOS apps.
Method 1: Enable subtitles from the video player Step XNUMX: Open the YouTube mobile app.
Step 2: After that, press the video Related.
Step 3: Once opened the video , Click on the screen. when you appear Menu Options , Click on CC icon.
This will turn on the video subtitles. Follow the steps below if you want to change the subtitle language.
Step 4: Tap the screen again and select cogwheel icon.
Step 5: Here, click on Captions. This will open a list of all available subtitle languages for the current video.
Step 6: Click on The right choice.
Note: To turn off subtitles on YouTube, follow the steps above and select the “Turn off subtitles” option.
This will change the subtitle language to your preference. You can either change the captions to a listed language, such as English, or translate the subtitles using the automatic translation option.
Some videos may contain auto-generated subtitles, which are automatically generated by YouTube and are not entirely accurate.
Method 2: Use the Settings menu
Note: We're using a Samsung Galaxy device for illustrative purposes. Options may vary for other Android devices.
Step 1: Open YouTube mobile app.
Step 2: Click on Your profile icon.
Step 3: Here, click on Settings.
Step 4: Next, scroll down and tap on Captions. This may redirect you to Caption settings with your device.
Step 5: Here, turn on the toggle to display captions or Equivalent setting.
If you are an iOS or iPadOS user, open Settings app > Go to Accessibility > Subtitles & Captions > Enable the toggle for Closed Captions + SDHThis will display translations for the videos that contain them.
How to Change Default Annotation Settings on YouTube
Besides turning subtitles on or off, you can change the default settings for YouTube comments. This will allow you to change the subtitle color, background color, font size, etc. This is useful if you want to customize the appearance of subtitles or make them easier to read. Here's how to do it:
Using a web browser
Step 1: Open YouTube Click on the video you want to play.
Step 2: Here, click on cogwheel icon.
Step 3: Next, tap Subtitles / CC.
Step 4: Click on options.
Step 5: will appear List of all options which you can use to customize captions.
Locate Settings that you want Customize it.
YouTube will show you a preview of how the subtitles will appear once the subtitles are applied in the player window. If you're not happy with the changes, you can click "Reset" At the end of the window "Options" To make it default.
Using the YouTube app
Note: We're using a Samsung Galaxy device for illustrative purposes. Steps may vary depending on your Android device.
Step 1: Open an app YouTube For mobile, click on the relevant video.
Step 2: Click on the video to view Menu Options.
step 3Here, click on cogwheel icon.
Step 4: Then press Captions.
Step 5: Click on Device Settings option Featured to open Your device settings.
Step 6: Here, click on Caption size and style.
Step 7: Click on the relevant option to change. Text size Or Caption style.
If you're an iOS or iPadOS user, go to Settings app > Accessibility > Captions & captions > Style > Select your preferred option.
Although the YouTube mobile app has a limited number of options, they can be useful if you're just looking to change the basic appearance of your YouTube captions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Turning Subs On or Off on YouTube
Q1. Why is the subtitle icon grayed out in some YouTube videos?
The answer: If there are no subtitles available for the YouTube video currently playing, the subtitle icon will appear grayed out.
Q2. Is it possible to change the subtitle for all videos on YouTube?
The answer: You can only change the subtitle language for videos that have alternative language options. However, you can customize subtitles for all YouTube videos that have subtitles enabled.
Q3. Has YouTube removed custom subtitles?
The answer: YouTube no longer supports the community captioning feature that allows viewers to contribute to video translation.
Q4. Why does YouTube automatically add subtitles?
The answer: Some YouTube videos with subtitles turned on may not have any subtitles provided by the uploader. In this case, you may see the auto-generated option when subtitles are turned on. YouTube uses speech recognition to generate these subtitles. Therefore, they may not always be accurate. Therefore, if you want to turn off live captions on YouTube, click the CC icon in the video player menu.
Manage YouTube sub-files
Subtitles are slowly becoming an integral part of our viewing experience. Therefore, we hope our article helps you better understand how to enable subtitles on YouTube and customize them as you see fit. You can also check out our guide if you'd like to learn more. Turn off automatic thumbnail previews on YouTube.
