How to Enable Closed Captions in Windows 11

This article explains how to enable or disable closed captions in Windows 11.

Closed captions let you read the words spoken in the audio part of a video. Windows 11 supports closed captions by default, so you have to right-click or tap on the video screen to choose to turn captions on or off.

When closed captioning is turned on, the texts are usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. The default style is white text on the block. However, you can change the style and color of the text and background.

Closed captions are often used by people with hearing disabilities or in areas where sound is off or not permitted. When you need closed captions, it’s available in Windows 11.

Turn on or off closed captions on Windows 11

Again, as mentioned above, closed captions come ready to use in Windows. If the video supports closed captions, Windows 11 will display the text when enabled.

To turn on closed captions when a video is playing, right-click or tap and hold anywhere on the video. A menu bar will appear at the bottom of the screen. If closed captioning is available, a CC icon will be displayed.

To turn off closed captions, tap or click the CC icon. You can tap or click the language in which you want to see closed captions. Closed captioning will now appear on your screen.

How to change closed captions styles on Windows 11

By default, white text on a black background is chosen as the style when closed captions are enabled. Well, you can change that in Windows 11.

Windows 11 has a centralized location for the majority of its settings. Everything can be done, from system configurations to creating new users and updating Windows from its System Settings pane.

To get to System Settings, you can use the Windows key + I shortcut or click on Start ==> Settings, as shown in the image below:

Alternatively, you can use the search box on the taskbar to search for Settings. Then select to open it.

In Windows Settings, click Accessibility, and select Captions on the right pane of your screen, as shown in the image below.

On the Accessibility > Captions settings pane, toggle the “Live captions” button to the On or Off position to enable or disable it.

By default, White on black is selected. However, yellow on blue, small, and large caps are also available.

If the defaults are not good enough, click the Edit button to choose from all text and background colors, fonts, caption transparency, size, window color, and more.

When you’re done, save your changes and exit. The color and styles you saved will be used the next time closed captions are displayed.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Closed captions enhance video accessibility by providing text for spoken audio, making them helpful for users with hearing disabilities.
• Enabling and disabling closed captions in Windows 11 is a simple process that can be done directly from the video player.
• Windows 11 offers customization options, allowing users to change the style, color, and appearance of closed captions to fit their preferences.
• Accessing the closed captions settings is straightforward via the Windows Settings pane, ensuring an easy user experience.
• Custom settings are saved and will be applied for future videos, providing a seamless viewing experience tailored to individual needs.

With these features, Windows 11 ensures that all users can enjoy video content more inclusively.