How to Enable YouTube Subtitles

The author can add subtitles to a video, or they can appear automatically after system processing. Enabling or disabling subtitles is quite simple. But many users don't know how to enable subtitles on YouTube, how to customize them, change the language, font, or size. In this article, we will thoroughly explore all methods of working with YouTube subtitles. You will learn how to enable YouTube subtitles for one video and for all videos at once, how to disable subtitles, how to change their appearance and language, and how to use automatic subtitles for videos that don't have them.

This material will be useful both for ordinary viewers who want to watch videos with text accompaniment, and for bloggers, streamers, and channel owners who care about the accessibility of their content for people with hearing impairments or for viewers who speak other languages.

Why are subtitles needed on YouTube?

Before understanding how to enable subtitles on YouTube, let's understand why they are needed. Subtitles are text accompanying the video, displayed at the bottom of the screen. They perform several important functions.

First. Accessibility for people with hearing impairments. Millions of YouTube users have hearing problems, and subtitles are the only way for them to understand what is being said in the video.

Second. Viewing in noisy places or without sound. You can watch videos on public transport, in a library, or at work without turning on the sound. Subtitles allow you to understand the content of the video.

Third. Learning foreign languages. Subtitles in the original language or with translation help learn new words, improve pronunciation, and understand native speakers' speech.

Fourth. Better comprehension of complex information. Technical, scientific, or educational videos are easier to grasp when you simultaneously hear and see key terms.

Fifth. Searching within a video. YouTube allows searching by subtitles — this helps quickly find the desired moment in a long video.

Now that you know why subtitles are needed, let's move on to the main point: how to enable subtitles on YouTube in different ways.

How to enable subtitles for a single video on YouTube

The simplest and quickest way to enable subtitles is to do it directly while watching the video. This instruction applies to both the computer version of YouTube and mobile applications.

Enabling subtitles on a computer

Open the YouTube video you want to watch. Below the video player is the control panel. In videos that have subtitles, there is a special "CC" button (short for Closed Captions). It is usually located next to the video quality and settings buttons. To enable subtitles, you need to click the "CC" button. After that, the text will start appearing at the bottom of the video. To disable, click the "CC" icon again.

If necessary, you can change the subtitle language and perform a number of other settings. We will explain how to do this in the following sections.

Enabling subtitles on a phone (Android and iOS)

In the YouTube mobile app, the process is similar. Open the video. Tap the screen to bring up the control panel. In the upper right or lower corner (depending on the app version), find the "CC" or "Subtitles" icon. Tap it. Subtitles will turn on. To turn them off, tap the icon again.

Please note! The "CC" button only appears on videos that have subtitles. If a video does not have subtitles (neither uploaded by the author nor automatically generated), the button will be absent or inactive. In this case, you can enable automatic subtitle creation through your account settings — more on this below.

How to enable subtitles on YouTube for all videos at once

If you often watch videos with subtitles and are tired of clicking the "CC" button every time, YouTube allows you to enable subtitle display by default for all videos. This is very convenient: set it once, and subtitles will always show, even when refreshing the page or changing devices.

Setting up on a computer

In this case, editing is done in the YouTube account settings. To perform these actions, you need to follow a few steps.

First step. Go to YouTube and click on your avatar in the upper right corner. In the drop-down menu, select "Settings".

Second step. In the left settings menu, find and select the "Playback" section. It is responsible for the default player behavior.

Third step. In the "Playback" section, find the "Always show captions" field. Check or uncheck this box. If you check it, subtitles will automatically turn on for all videos where they are available.

Fourth step. For videos without subtitles, automatic generation by the YouTube system is possible. To do this, you need to check the box next to "Show automatically generated subtitles (if available)". YouTube uses speech recognition technology to generate subtitles on the fly. The quality of such subtitles may not be perfect, especially if the speech is unclear or there is background noise, but in most cases, they are quite understandable.

Fifth step. After completing the settings, you need to click the "Save" button. The settings will apply to all videos you watch in the future.

Thus, you can always view available subtitles or disable them completely. But there is also an option for more flexible customization — changing the appearance of subtitles, which we will discuss next.

Deposit funds, one-click order, discounts and bonuses are available only for registered users. Register.

If you didn't find the right service or found it cheaper, write to I will support you in tg or chat, and we will resolve any issue.