Enable and Use Windows 11 Live Captions for Real-Time Subtitles
Difficulty: Beginner | Time Required: 10 minutesReal-time subtitles can be a game-changer for watching videos, following along in conversations, or working in noisy environments. Windows 11’s Live Captions automatically generate text captions for spoken content on your screen. This makes videos, meetings, and voice chat more accessible and easier to understand without relying on external captioning services. Note: Live Captions is a built-in Windows 11 feature and isn’t available in Windows 10. If you’re on Windows 11 (version 21H2 and newer, with the 22H2 updates commonly deployed), you can enable and customize it to fit your workflow.
Introduction
Live Captions uses speech recognition to transcribe audio from videos, apps, and calls directly on your device. You can caption content playing on your computer, and you can also caption your own speech from a microphone. It’s especially helpful for learners, people with hearing difficulties, or anyone who needs captions on the fly. While it works well in many apps and browsers, some apps may not support live captioning perfectly, and accuracy depends on microphone quality and background noise.
Prerequisites
- A Windows 11 PC (Windows 11 Pro/Home, 21H2 or newer; 22H2 is common in current builds).
- Ensure your PC is up to date: Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
- Basic microphone setup if you want to caption your own speech: a functional mic configured in Settings > System > Sound.
- Note about Windows 10: Live Captions isn’t built into Windows 10. If you need captions there, you’ll have to rely on app-specific captions or third‑party captioning tools.
- Enable Live Captions
- Choose the content source (system audio, microphone, or both)
- Customize appearance and language
- Test with video or a call
- Tweak or disable as needed
1) Open Live Captions settings
- Go to Settings on your Windows 11 PC: you can press the Start button and then click Settings, or press Windows + I to open Settings quickly.
- Navigate to Accessibility (you’ll see it in the left-hand menu).
- Under Hearing, select Live captions.
- Flip the toggle to On to enable Live Captions.
- When you first enable it, Windows may ask you to download language packs or set a preferred language. Choose your preferred language for captions.
- In the Live Captions settings, look for Source or Caption Source options.
- System Audio: Choose this to caption audio coming from videos, apps, or games playing on your device.
- Microphone: Enable this if you want real-time captions of your own speech during calls or chats.
- Both: If you want captions for both the media you’re watching and your own voice, enable both sources.
- Tip: If you’re in a noisy environment or you’re in a meeting, start with System Audio first and add Microphone if you need to caption your voice as well.
- You’ll see a caption window that appears on your screen. You can usually drag this caption window to a convenient spot (top, bottom, or side of the screen) so it doesn’t block the content you’re watching.
- In the same settings area, adjust visibility preferences like Always show captions (keep them visible) or auto-hide when no audio is detected.
- If you’re screen-sharing or recording, you can fine-tune caption behavior to prevent overlap with other UI elements.
- Choose your preferred caption language. Windows will use that language for transcription.
- Customize appearance: font size, text color, background color, and window border can usually be adjusted to improve readability.
- If you often switch between devices or rooms, you can experiment with a higher-contrast style or a larger font to improve legibility in bright rooms or on smaller screens.
- Open a video in your browser (YouTube, for example) or play a movie in a video app. Windows should start captioning automatically if System Audio is enabled.
- Try a video call or voice chat in apps like Teams or Zoom to test microphone captions.
- If captions don’t appear, double-check that Live Captions is On, that System Audio (and/or Microphone) is enabled, and that the content isn’t blocked by app-specific settings.
- If captions seem delayed or inaccurate, move the caption window to a different location and check for any language pack updates in Settings.
- In some cases, you may want to reduce background noise or speak more clearly when using microphone captions for better accuracy.
- If you’re using a browser, make sure the page isn’t using a blocking feature for accessibility services. Refresh the page if needed.
- To stop captions, return to Settings > Accessibility > Live captions and toggle Off.
- Some people prefer to keep captions on during videos but disable them for live calls; in that case, you can switch the Microphone source off while keeping System Audio on.
- Windows version and availability: Live Captions is a Windows 11 feature. It’s not included in Windows 10. If you’re on Windows 11 and don’t see Live Captions, ensure your system is up to date (Settings > Windows Update) and that you’re on a supported language pack.
- Language packs: If captions aren’t appearing in your preferred language, install or select the language in the Live Captions settings. Some languages may have limited accuracy depending on the speech models.
- App compatibility: Most media players and browsers with audio output will work, but some apps may not send audio to the caption service. If captions don’t appear in a particular app, try a different app or system-wide playback, or check for app-specific accessibility settings.
- Microphone quality matters: If you’re captioning your own speech, a clear, noise-free microphone improves transcription accuracy. Consider using a dedicated microphone in a quieter environment.
- Privacy and processing: Live Captions processes audio on-device for most languages, with cloud-supported options in some configurations. If privacy is a concern, review how your device handles speech data in Settings > Privacy & security.
- Performance considerations: If you notice CPU or battery impact while Live Captions are active, try lowering the caption window size, using a smaller font, or turning off Live Captions when you don’t need them.
- Windows 10 users seeking captions: For Windows 10, use built-in closed captions in video players or third-party captioning tools. The Live Captions experience described here is specific to Windows 11.
Live Captions in Windows 11 makes real-time subtitles easy, accessible, and customizable. By enabling the feature, choosing the right sources, and fine-tuning appearance and language, you can enjoy clearer comprehension of media, calls, and conversations—whether you’re watching a tutorial, participating in a meeting, or following along with a video in a noisy environment. With a few quick adjustments, you’ll have on-screen captions that fit your needs and screen layout, and you’ll gain a smoother, more inclusive Windows experience.
Key Takeaways:
- Live Captions provides real-time subtitles for system audio and microphone input on Windows 11, improving accessibility and understanding in various contexts.
- You can customize language, caption style, size, color, and placement, and choose which audio sources to caption.
- It’s not available on Windows 10 by default; ensure you’re on Windows 11 (21H2 or newer, with 22H2 updates common) and up to date for best results.
- For best accuracy, use a good microphone, minimize background noise, and adjust caption settings to your screen position and readability preferences.
- If captions aren’t appearing in a given app, try a different app or adjust the source settings; some apps may not support live captioning perfectly.
This tutorial was generated to help WindowsForum.com users get the most out of their Windows experience.