How to Turn Off Live Caption on Chrome

Chrome's Live Caption feature automatically generates real-time captions for any audio or video playing in your browser. It's a useful accessibility tool, but if you find the captions distracting or don't need them, turning them off takes only a few seconds.

There are two ways to do it on desktop: a quick toggle through the media controls bar, or a permanent switch in Chrome's settings. Both are covered below, along with how to turn off Live Captions on Android and iPhone.

What is live caption?

Live caption makes captions pop up any time audio, video, or call (on some phones) is playing. For many users, it can make the internet much more accessible. They can follow along with what is happening. 

For others, it can get annoying to see captions popping up when consuming content. If you're looking for help with turning off live captions, read our how-to guide below!

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How to turn off live captions in Chrome

Here’s how to turn off the live captions on the latest version of Chrome for desktop and mobile:

Step 1: Click ‘Customize and control Google Chrome’ at the top right of your browser.

Step 2: Click ‘Settings.’

Step 3: Click on ‘Accessibility’ on the toolbar to the left. 

Step 4: Click on ‘Manage accessibility features’.

Step 5: Scroll down and click on ‘Captions’.

Step 6: Tick ‘Live Captions’ to turn it off.

Step 1: Tap ‘More’ on the top right of the screen.

Step 2: Tap ‘Settings.’

Step 3: Scroll down and tap ‘Accessibility.’

Stap 4: Tap ‘Captions.’

Step 5: Tick ‘Use captions’ to turn off Live Captions.

How to turn off live Captions on Android

Here’s how to turn off captions on newer Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, and OnePlus Android devices.

Step 1: Push your phone's ‘volume up or down’ using any of its buttons.

Step 2: Tap the ‘three dots’ that pop up over the volume bar.

Step 3: Select Live Caption (it looks like a mini business card).

Step 1: Open ‘Settings’.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap on ‘Accessibility’.

Step 3: Tap ‘Hearing enhancements’.

Step 4: Tap on ‘Live Caption.’

Step 5: Tick ‘Use Live Caption.’ turn it off.

How to turn off live captions from Global Media Controls

Here’s how to quickly turn off the captions in Chrome:

Step 1: Click on ‘Control your music, videos, and more’ on the top right of the browser.

Step 2: Tick ‘Live Caption’ to turn it off.

Read next: Top 8 Live Caption Apps & Software

Key takeaways

Live captions are a great accessibility feature. It can work out if you need a general idea of what people are saying. However, sometimes they can be a hassle when using your browser. You can turn these off and use Notta when you need a more accurate solution. Notta is a voice-to-text app that will transcribe audio for you. You can go back and read it later when you have time.

How to Turn Live Captions Back On

All the methods above work as toggles — the same steps turn Live Captions back on. If you turned them off via Chrome Settings, go back to Settings > Accessibility and flip the Live Caption toggle on. If you use the media controls bar, click the icon again when audio is playing and tap the Live Caption toggle to re-enable it.

FAQs

How to turn on Live Caption on Google Chrome?

You can quickly turn on Live Caption using the Global Media Controls. Here’s how to turn it on:

1. Navigate to a page where this is audio or video playing.

2. Click the Global Media Controls icon on the top right of the browser. It will have three lines with a music note next to it.

3. Tick the option to turn Live Caption on at the bottom of the window.

Can I customize how Live Captions look in Chrome?

Yes. In Chrome Settings > Accessibility, click on Captions (or Manage accessibility features depending on your Chrome version) to access caption style settings. You can change the font size, text colour, background colour, and opacity of the caption box.

Does turning off Live Caption in Chrome affect other apps on my computer?

No. Chrome's Live Caption setting only applies to the Chrome browser. If your operating system has a separate Live Caption or accessibility feature (such as on Chromebooks, Android devices, or iPhones), that is a separate toggle managed through your device's system settings.

How do I turn off Live Caption on a Chromebook?

On a Chromebook, Live Caption is a system-wide accessibility feature managed through ChromeOS settings, not just the Chrome browser. To turn it off, click the clock in the bottom-right corner to open Quick Settings, then click Accessibility settings. Find Live Caption and toggle it off.

Can I use Live Captions while making a call on my Android device?

You can use live captions during a call if you're using a Google Pixel phone and on an Android device. If you're not using a Google Pixel phone, you can't use live captions on your Android device during a call.

Does the iPhone provide Live Caption service?

iPhone provides closed captions, subtitles, and transcriptions to help you watch videos. To turn this feature on or off, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings > General > Accessibility and then select Subtitles & Captioning.

2. From here, you can toggle Closed Captioning on or off and change the language of your captions.