Why is Youtube Captions Not Working? How to Fix Youtube Captions Not Working?
by Janani
Updated Jul 14, 2023
Youtube Captions Not Working
YouTube has been a prominent platform on the internet since the early days of viral videos. One of its important features is closed captioning, which enhances accessibility for individuals with hearing difficulties, those who watch videos at low volumes, and non-native English speakers.
Unfortunately, like any technological feature, the captioning system on YouTube is not without its flaws. If you're experiencing the issue of "YouTube automatic captions not available or not syncing," there are six potential solutions that you can try. This post provides a list of these solutions, and you can try them one by one until the issue is resolved. Scroll down to find out what these solutions are.
Having captions available on YouTube makes it convenient to understand the video content. However, many users encounter the problem of "YouTube automatic captions not being available or appearing blank." If you're facing this issue, you may be seeking ways to fix it.
Why is Youtube Captions Not Working?
There are some reasons which cause the Youtube Captions Not Working issue. Here are the causes for Youtube Captions Not Working issue.
1) No Captions Here: The Video Doesn't Have Subtitles
If you're wondering why you can't see subtitles on a YouTube video, it's important to understand how captions are generated. When a video creator uploads a video, they have the option to manually add subtitles by transcribing the spoken content and adding it as text. However, not all creators choose to do this.
In cases where the creator didn't add subtitles, YouTube has an automated system that attempts to generate subtitles. However, this system is not always perfect and may not work consistently.
Therefore, the most common reason for not seeing subtitles on a video is simply because the video's creator did not add any subtitles.
Unfortunately, as a viewer, there isn't much you can do to fix this issue. One suggestion would be to reach out to the video's creator and ask them directly if they would consider adding subtitles. Alternatively, you could offer to transcribe the video yourself and provide the results to the creator for them to upload. However, this may not be feasible for everyone, and there is no guarantee that the creator will respond positively or at all.
2) Subtitles May Be Disabled in Your Settings
The good news is that the problem of missing subtitles might be solved by adjusting your own YouTube profile settings. It's possible that subtitles are turned off in your settings, causing you to not see them.
There are two ways to enable closed captions: within a specific video and in your settings menu. While watching a video, you can hover your mouse over the video and look for a "CC" icon in the bottom-right corner of the player.
Clicking on the "CC" icon will enable subtitles for that video. If you don't see the "CC" icon, it means that the video does not have any available captions.
To change your global settings so that you always see captions whenever available, you'll need to go to your profile settings. Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen, then click on the settings gear.
In the settings menu, find 'Playback and Performance' in the list on the left. Turn on the options for 'Always Show Captions' and 'Include Auto-Generated Captions (When Available).' This will ensure that captions appear automatically whenever they are available.
3) System Error: Subtitle Auto-Generation Failed
YouTube also has an automated system that generates captions using artificial intelligence when creators haven't added them manually. This system is not always perfect and may produce inaccurate subtitles. However, if the uploader hasn't added subtitles, the auto-generated captions are better than nothing.
Sometimes, the auto-generation system may fail or take some time to kick in. If the video is brand new, it may not have generated captions yet. Give it some time, usually a few days at most, and the captions may appear. However, there are instances where captions never appear for unknown reasons. Some users speculate that the auto-caption system, like the YouTube algorithm in general, may not treat all channels equally.
How to Fix Youtube Captions Not Working?
There are many methods to solve the Youtube Captions, not working issue. Here are those methods to solve the Youtube Captions, not working issue.
1) Reloading or Restarting YouTube
Try reloading or restarting YouTube to ensure the subtitle stream has been initiated correctly.
On a web browser:
On the YouTube app:
2) Enabling YouTube Subtitles
To re-enable the YouTube Subtitles feature, follow these steps:
On the web browser:
On the YouTube app:
If the YouTube automatic captions do not reappear, proceed to the next fixing method.
3) Changing the Playback Speed
If the issue occurs when playing the video at high speed, reset the playback speed to normal:
On a web browser:
4) Updating YouTube
Make sure you are using the latest version of YouTube. Follow these steps:
On the YouTube app:
If using YouTube through a web browser, update the web browser itself.
5) Clearing the Cache
6) Reinstalling the YouTube App
As a last resort, reinstall the YouTube app by pressing and holding the app icon on your Android screen, selecting the Uninstall option, and then reinstalling the app from the Google Play Store.
If you have any other tactics to resolve the issue of "YouTube automatic captions not available," please share them with us and other readers. Thank you in advance.
YouTube
YouTube is an online video-sharing and social media platform based in San Bruno, California, USA. Launched in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, it is now owned by Google and is the second most visited website worldwide, following Google Search.
With over 2.5 billion monthly users, YouTube users collectively watch more than one billion hours of videos each day. It has become a massive platform, with videos being uploaded at a rate of over 500 hours of content per minute.
Google's acquisition of YouTube in 2006 expanded its business model, allowing for revenue generation beyond advertisements. This included the introduction of paid content such as movies and exclusive YouTube-produced content. YouTube also offers a paid subscription option called YouTube Premium, providing ad-free viewing.
Additionally, YouTube enables creators to participate in Google's AdSense program to generate more revenue. In recent years, YouTube's advertising revenue has shown significant growth, reaching $28.8 billion in 2021 and $29.2 billion in 2022.
Since becoming part of Google, YouTube has expanded its presence to mobile apps, network television, and integration with other platforms. The platform features various video categories, including music videos, news, short films, documentaries, live streams, vlogs, and more.
While individual creators contribute the majority of content, established media corporations have also joined by creating their own YouTube channels to reach a larger audience.
YouTube's impact on popular culture and internet trends has been significant, and it has propelled many individuals to become millionaires and celebrities.
However, it has faced criticism for issues such as facilitating the spread of misinformation, copyright infringement, privacy concerns, censorship concerns, and potential risks to child safety and well-being. The platform's content guidelines and their implementation have also been subjects of scrutiny.
Why is Youtube Captions Not Working? - FAQ
There are some reasons which cause the Youtube Captions Not Working issue. No Captions Here: The Video Doesn't Have Subtitles, Subtitles May Be Disabled in Your Settings and System Error: Subtitle Auto-Generation Failed are some of the causes.
YouTube was launched in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim.
YouTube is owned by Google.
YouTube has over 2.5 billion monthly users.
YouTube's advertising revenue reached $28.8 billion in 2021 and $29.2 billion in 2022.