How to Turn On YouTube Subtitles

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This wikiHow teaches you how to turn on subtitles in a YouTube video, using a computer, phone or tablet. Some videos on YouTube include official, community-contributed or auto-translated subtitles or closed captions. You may be able to enable official or auto-translated subtitles in English or other languages in many videos.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Using a Desktop Browser

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    Type or paste https://www.youtube.com into the address bar, and press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
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    You can open any video from the home page, a channel, or from the Search bar at the top of the page.
    • This will open the video on a new page.
    • Not all videos have subtitles available.
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    This button is next to the white
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    gear icon in the lower-right corner of the video. It will turn on subtitles/closed captions in the video.
    • Click the same button again to turn off subtitles.
    • Your current subtitle language will show up on the top-left of the video.
    • If there's no such button here, the video may not have any subtitles or closed captions available.
    • Alternatively, you can press the C button on your keyboard to enable/disable subtitles.
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    This will open the video settings in a pop-up window.
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    This will open a list of all the available subtitle languages for this video.
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    Click the subtitle language you want in the pop-up. This will automatically switch the video's subtitles to the selected language.
    • In some videos, you may be able to select Auto-translate , and select a language. This will use YouTube's automatic translator to generate subtitles in the selected language.
    • Optionally, you can click Options on the top-right of the "Subtitles/CC" pop-up, and change your subtitle font, color, size and format.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using the Mobile App

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    The YouTube icon looks like a white
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    button in a red rectangle. You can find it on your home screen, in an app folder or on the Apps tray.
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    This will open the selected video on a new page.
    • Not all videos have subtitles available.
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    This will open your video options on a pop-up menu.
    • If you don't see any buttons on the video, lightly tap on the video to reveal all the control buttons.
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    This option is listed next to a " CC " icon on the pop-up menu. It will open a list of all the available subtitles for this video.
    • If you don't see this option on the menu, the video does not have any subtitles or captions available.
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    Tap a language on the subtitle list to turn on subtitles.
    • Your video will continue with subtitles on.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    When I click on the settings icon, no subtitle box springs up. Why isn't it there?
    Community Answer
    This means that there are no subtitles. This could mean that no one has decided to add subtitles, or it could mean that this video cannot be subtitled.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 28
  • Question
    When I select English CC in the settings, it works until I close the website and reopen it. Then I see that it was not saved. How can I make the setting so it's saved?
    Community Answer
    You have to access the subtitles every time you open a new YouTube page. If these steps are too long, press C on a computer keyboard. If you are on mobile, you will have to do the whole process every time.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 8
  • Question
    I don't see an English language option from mobile?
    Ruby
    Top Answerer
    That will be because they weren't added. You can request for the creator to add captions, but unfortunately, sometimes you have to "make-do" with the auto-generated captions, which are of significantly lower quality.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 7
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      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open a YouTube video.
      2. Click the " CC " icon on the bottom-right.
      3. Click the gear icon on the bottom-right.
      4. Click Subtitles/CC .
      5. Select a language.

      Did this summary help you?
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      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 233,831 times.

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