YouTube Closed Captions: How to Enable & Download

YouTube closed captions (CC) display text on screen showing what's being said in a video. To enable CC: click the CC button in the video player, or press 'C' on your keyboard. This guide covers enabling captions, customizing their appearance, and downloading them for offline use.

Key Takeaways

• Enable CC by clicking the CC button or pressing 'C' on keyboard
• Customize appearance including font, size, color, and background
• Two types of captions: auto-generated (AI) and manual (creator-uploaded)
• Download CC files using online tools like NoteLM.ai
• ~85% of YouTube videos have auto-generated captions available

What Are YouTube Closed Captions?

Closed captions (CC) are text displayed at the bottom of a video that transcribe the audio content, including:

• Spoken dialogue - Everything being said
• Speaker identification - Who is speaking (in some cases)
• Sound effects - [music playing], [door slams], etc.
• Contextual audio - [laughter], [applause]

Closed Captions vs. Subtitles

Types of YouTube Captions

1. Auto-generated captions

• Created automatically by YouTube's AI
• Available for ~85% of videos
• 85-95% accuracy (varies with audio quality)
• Shown as "English (auto-generated)" in settings

2. Manual/Creator-uploaded captions

• Uploaded by video creator
• Higher accuracy (typically 99%+)
• May include sound effects and speaker IDs
• Professional videos often have these

3. Community-contributed captions

• Submitted by viewers (where enabled)
• Quality varies
• Being phased out by YouTube

How to Enable YouTube Closed Captions

On Desktop (Web Browser)

Method 1: CC Button

1. 1.Play your video
2. 2.Click the CC button in the player controls (bottom right)
3. 3.Captions appear immediately

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut

• Press 'C' on your keyboard to toggle captions on/off

Method 3: Settings Menu

1. 1.Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the player
2. 2.Select Subtitles/CC
3. 3.Choose your language option

On Mobile (YouTube App)

On Smart TVs

Enable by Default

Make captions always on:

Desktop:

1. 1.Click your profile icon → Settings
2. 2.Go to Playback and performance
3. 3.Enable "Always show captions"

Mobile:

1. 1.Tap profile icon → Settings
2. 2.Go to Captions
3. 3.Toggle on "Show captions"

Customizing Caption Appearance

YouTube offers extensive caption customization for accessibility and preference.

How to Access Caption Settings

Desktop:

1. 1.Enable captions on any video
2. 2.Click gear icon → Subtitles/CC → Options

Mobile:

1. 1.Enable captions
2. 2.Tap CC icon → Caption settings

Available Customization Options

Recommended Settings for Readability

For general viewing:

• Font: Sans-serif or Monospace
• Font size: 100-125%
• Font color: White or Yellow
• Background: Black, 50-75% opacity

For hearing impaired:

• Font size: 125-150%
• High contrast colors (White on Black)
• Character edge: Drop shadow or Outline

For visual impairment:

• Font size: 150-200%
• Bold if available
• High contrast

How to Download YouTube Closed Captions

Method 1: NoteLM.ai (Recommended)

Method 2: YouTube Studio (Creators Only)

Method 3: yt-dlp Command Line

# Download all captions
yt-dlp --write-sub --skip-download "VIDEO_URL"

# Download auto-generated captions
yt-dlp --write-auto-sub --skip-download "VIDEO_URL"

Download Format Options

Understanding Auto-Generated Captions

How YouTube Auto-Captions Work

YouTube uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) to generate captions:

Audio Input → Speech Recognition AI → Text Output → Caption Display

Auto-Caption Availability

Auto-Caption Accuracy Factors

Higher accuracy when:

• Clear audio quality
• Single speaker
• Standard accent
• Moderate speaking pace
• No background noise

Lower accuracy when:

• Poor audio quality
• Heavy accents
• Multiple overlapping speakers
• Technical/specialized terminology
• Fast speech

Auto-Caption Languages

YouTube supports auto-generated captions in many languages:

Captions for Accessibility

Why Captions Matter

For deaf/hard of hearing:

• Full access to video content
• Understanding dialogue and audio cues
• Legal requirement in many contexts

For non-native speakers:

• Better comprehension
• Language learning
• Following complex topics

For everyone:

• Watching in noisy environments
• Silent viewing (public spaces)
• Improved comprehension
• Better search/discoverability

Accessibility Standards

Creating Accessible Captions

For creators uploading captions:

✅ Include speaker identification

✅ Describe relevant sound effects

✅ Note music and its relevance

✅ Sync timing accurately

✅ Use proper punctuation

✅ Break lines at natural points

❌ Don't rely solely on auto-captions

❌ Don't forget non-speech sounds

❌ Don't use all caps (reads as shouting)

Troubleshooting Caption Issues

"No Captions Available"

Causes:

• Video too new (auto-captions need 12-24 hours)
• Creator disabled captions
• Unsupported language
• Audio-only content marked as such

Solutions:

• Wait 24 hours for new videos
• Check for alternate languages
• Request captions from creator
• Use third-party transcription

Captions Out of Sync

Causes:

• Processing errors
• Video re-edited after captioning
• Stream delay issues

Solutions:

• Report via feedback (⋮ → Send feedback)
• Download and adjust timing manually
• Use subtitle editor software

Poor Caption Accuracy

For auto-captions:

• This is expected for complex audio
• Consider professional transcription services
• Edit downloaded captions manually

For manual captions:

• Report to video creator
• Leave polite comment noting errors

Captions Won't Turn Off

Solutions:

1. 1.Click CC button again
2. 2.Go to Settings → Subtitles/CC → Off
3. 3.Check if default settings enable captions
4. 4.Clear browser cache and reload

Caption Settings for Different Use Cases

For Studying

• Font size: 125% for comfortable reading
• Background: 75% opacity for clarity
• Download captions for note-taking
• Use with NoteLM.ai for study notes

For Language Learning

• Enable captions in target language
• Use auto-translate for comprehension check
• Download and study vocabulary
• Compare original and translated versions

For Content Creation

• Download competitor video captions for research
• Study how others structure content
• Extract quotes with timestamps
• Create transcripts for blog posts

For Accessibility Compliance

• Always provide captions for your videos
• Review and correct auto-captions
• Include sound descriptions
• Test with actual users when possible

Quick reference:

• Enable: Click CC button or press 'C'
• Customize: Settings → Subtitles/CC → Options
• Download: Use NoteLM.ai for SRT files
• Accuracy: Manual captions > auto-generated

For creators, always review auto-generated captions and consider uploading corrected versions. For viewers, take advantage of customization options to make captions work best for you.

Download YouTube Captions with NoteLM.ai →

Related Resources:

• YouTube CC vs Subtitles: Understanding the Difference
• YouTube Subtitle Downloader: Complete Guide
• How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos