How To Turn On Subtitles on YouTube

Subtitles are vital to effective video consumption on various social platforms, including YouTube. They translate speech, helping the audience better understand the video.

They are also crucial to people with hearing impairment and those who wish to watch videos on mute but still want to understand the context. Depending on the device, there are various ways to turn on subtitles on YouTube.

This post explains how to turn on subtitles on YouTube.

Overview of Turning On YouTube Subtitles

As the introduction notes, subtitles are essential to consume video content effectively. YouTube subtitles, also called closed captions, are vital to users with visual impairment. They can also come in handy when you wish to watch a video on mute and still understand what the video is about.

Other reasons for turning on YouTube subtitles include the video not being in your primary language and poor audio quality. Still, you don’t need a concrete reason to turn on subtitles. The option is available for any user who prefers to have them when watching a video.

Besides the default subtitle language, English, subtitles will be available in any other language the creator makes available. For example, if a YouTuber speaks in English and Spanish in a video, they can add Spanish as a subtitle language option.

Suppose the default language and the available subtitle language options are not suitable. In that case, you can use the auto-translate option to change and translate the audio to a more appropriate subtitle language.

Other subtitle changes you can make on a YouTube video include the font and the size. You can also change the font color, background color, and window opacity.

In the next section, we’ll cover the steps to turn on YouTube subtitles on a PC or the mobile app.

Step-by-Step Guide to Turning On YouTube Subtitles

There are various methods to turn on YouTube subtitles depending on the device. Let’s get into the exact steps.

Method #1: Using a PC

Follow the steps below to turn on subtitles on a PC.

1. Launch your web browser and navigate to YouTube.
2. Open the video you wish to stream with subtitles.
3. From the video’s sidebar, click the “CC” button next to the cogwheel settings icon.
4. A red line will appear below it, indicating subtitles are on.

If you wish to change the subtitle language or adjust the font color or size, follow the steps below.

1. Click the “Settings” button next to the “CC” button.
2. Locate and click the “Subtitle/CC” option.
3. Select the preferred language from the list to change the default language.
4. If the language you want to change isn’t on the list, select the “Auto-translate” option and select a language from the menu.

Besides language, you can also change the subtitle font color, size, and opacity using the steps below.

1. Click the cogwheel icon.
2. Navigate to the “Subtitle/CC” tab.
3. Click the “Options” button at the top-right corner of the subtitle window.
4. Select what you want to change from the list.

Method #2: Using the Mobile App

Here’s how to turn on YouTube subtitles on the YouTube mobile app.

1. Launch the YouTube mobile app.
2. Open the video you wish to watch with subtitles.
3. Tap on the video to bring up an options menu.
4. Hit the “CC” button at the top-right corner of the video.
5. The video will start playing with default language subtitles.

To make any changes to the subtitle, for example, change the language, click the settings icon, then select a different language from the list.

Summary

Subtitles are valuable to people with visual impairment or those who don’t understand the video’s primary language.

They also come in handy when you wish to watch a video on mute but still understand it.

Turning on YouTube subtitles is pretty straightforward. Just click the cc/subtitle icon at the top-right corner of the video.