How to Turn Off Closed Captions on YouTube TV (Every Device)

Captions that won't go away are one of the most common YouTube TV complaints, and the reason is usually the same. People switch them off in their TV's accessibility menu, and nothing changes. YouTube TV handles captions inside its own app, so that's where you have to turn them off. Here's how on every device, plus the times captions appear or disappear for reasons that have nothing to do with you.

Turn off captions on a smart TV or streaming device

1. Start playing a channel or recording in the YouTube TV app.
2. Press down on your remote to bring up the player controls. On some TVs you'll need to press down twice.
3. Find the CC icon under or next to the playback bar.
4. Select it and switch captions off.

The same CC menu is where you turn captions back on, and on TVs it also has an Edit Style option for changing how they look.

Turn off captions on a phone or tablet

1. Tap the video while it's playing.
2. Tap the vertical three-dot menu.
3. Tap CC and turn captions off.

Turn off captions on a computer

Hover over the video at tv.youtube.com and click the small CC icon in the lower right corner. For more options, click the gear icon and choose Subtitles/CC. One quirk: captions aren't shown in the collapsed, smaller player view in a web browser, only when the player is open.

Why your TV's caption setting doesn't work

This is the insight that saves most people ten minutes of frustration. According to a YouTube TV Product Expert guide in the official help community, YouTube TV doesn't support closed captions being controlled at the system level. Your Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV or smart TV caption setting may control other apps, but YouTube TV ignores it. Use the CC button inside the YouTube TV player instead.

Captions by device at a glance

Device	Where the CC control is	Can you change the style?
Smart TV or streaming device	Press down, CC icon under the playback bar	Yes, with Edit Style
Phone or tablet	Tap the video, three-dot menu, CC	No
Computer	CC icon bottom right, or gear, Subtitles/CC	Yes, under Options

When captions turn themselves on or won't show

• No captions offered. YouTube TV says that if the content owner doesn't provide closed captions, it can't show any, even with the setting turned on.
• On-demand versus live. You can adjust how captions look for on-demand programmes in the player. Live captions come from the broadcaster, so their quality and timing are down to the network.
• Multiview. When you watch several channels at once, captions follow the view you've selected for audio. Change the active view and the captions move with it.
• A different profile or device. Caption choices can differ between devices, so a setting you changed on your phone may not follow you to the TV.

Captions that drop out mid-sentence

If captions stop and start during a live show, the community guide's expert notes two causes: the captions are part of the network's own broadcast, so flawed captions come from the network, or your connection is struggling to keep the caption data flowing with the video. If the picture is also stuttering, treat it as a connection problem and restart your device and router. My guide to YouTube videos not playing has the basic connection checks.

Captions, audio description and other languages

Captions aren't the only accessibility option tied up in YouTube TV's settings, and one of them interacts with sound in a way few people expect. YouTube TV says that turning on 5.1 surround audio turns off any secondary audio selection, which may contain descriptive audio or additional languages. So if someone in your home relies on audio description, or watches with a second-language track, check the 5.1 audio setting in YouTube TV's Settings before assuming the network dropped it.

Most programmes on YouTube TV are in English by default. Where a Spanish version exists, you'll see Espanol next to the video. That's a separate programme or track, not a caption option, so switching captions off won't change the spoken language.

Making captions easier to read instead

If you only turned them off because they're hard to read, try styling them. On a TV, open the CC menu and choose Edit Style to change things like typeface, colour and size. On a computer, go to the gear icon, Subtitles/CC, then Options. Styling isn't available on phones.

Regular YouTube works differently, with its own caption button and settings, so if it's the main YouTube app showing subtitles you don't want, see my guide to YouTube's viewing settings and use the CC button in that player.

My verdict

Turn captions off from the CC icon inside the YouTube TV player, not from your TV's settings menu, because YouTube TV ignores system-level caption controls. If captions won't appear when you want them, the network probably didn't provide any for that programme. And if they're just hard to read, restyle them on a TV or computer rather than giving up on them.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off closed captions on YouTube TV?

While watching, press down on your remote, select the CC icon under the playback bar and switch captions off. On a phone, tap the video, the three-dot menu, then CC.

Why won't captions turn off on YouTube TV?

You're probably using your TV's own caption setting. YouTube TV captions are controlled only inside the YouTube TV app.

Why are there no captions on some YouTube TV shows?

YouTube TV only shows captions the content owner provides. If there are none, the setting can't create them.

Can I change the caption style on YouTube TV?

Yes on a TV (CC menu, Edit Style) or computer (gear, Subtitles/CC, Options), but not on mobile devices.

Do captions work in multiview?

Yes. Captions follow the view you've selected as the active audio.