Windows 11: Display PC Audio as Text with Live Captions
Display audio on your PC as text using live captions. Press Win+Ctrl+L or go to Settings > Accessibility > Captions and turn on Live Captions. When playing a video or call, the utterances are displayed in the caption window, and even after changing the position, other windows are not obscured too much.
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Who this guide is for and what to prepare
- Users who want to streamline daily operations with Windows 11
- Users who want to try out the feature in a way that allows them to restore the settings.
What you need
- Save the file you are working on and try it with test data that does not include personal information.
- Accuracy is dependent on sound quality, speech, and language and should not be the sole basis for formal minutes or safety-critical instructions. Functions and supported languages vary depending on Windows version and region.
Purpose and prerequisites
Display audio on your PC as text using live captions. Press Win+Ctrl+L or go to Settings > Accessibility > Captions and turn on Live Captions. When playing a video or call, the utterances are displayed in the caption window, and even after changing the position, other windows are not obscured too much.
Accuracy is dependent on sound quality, speech, and language and should not be the sole basis for formal minutes or safety-critical instructions. Functions and supported languages vary depending on Windows version and region.
Configure the feature
Press Win+Ctrl+L or go to Settings > Accessibility > Captions and turn on Live Captions.
- Press Win+Ctrl+L or turn on Live Captions from Settings > Accessibility > Captions
Try it out and see the results
For the first time, select the display language and complete the download of the necessary language files. Use the gears to choose location, caption options, and microphone audio inclusion. When playing a video or call, the utterances are displayed in the caption window, and even after changing the position, other windows are not obscured too much.
The first time, you will obtain a voice recognition file for the display language and check the subtitles with a short video. Select the position from top, bottom, or floating. Processing is done on the device, but an internet connection is required for initial acquisition, and automatic recognition is not treated as accurate minutes.
The first time, complete the download of the necessary language files and then play a short video with audio. Select the display position using the gear on the subtitle bar and move it to a position that does not obscure important parts of the video. This is not an operation to burn subtitles into a recorded file, so if you want to export a video with subtitles, you will need the subtitle function on the video editing software side.
- For the first time, select the display language and complete the download of the necessary language files. Use the gears to select position, caption options, and microphone audio inclusion
- When you play a video or call, the utterances are displayed in the caption window, and even after changing the position, other windows are not obscured too much.
Turn it off and restore the previous setup
Turn it off with the caption window's close button or the same settings. Check for unnecessary additional languages in [Time and Language] > [Language and Region].
- Turn it off with the caption window's close button or the same settings. Check for unnecessary additional languages in [Time and Language] > [Language and Region]
Limitations and requirements
- Accuracy is dependent on sound quality, speech, and language and should not be the sole basis for formal minutes or safety-critical instructions. Functions and supported languages vary depending on Windows version and region.
- If the settings are fixed on an organization-managed PC, check with the administrator instead of using unofficial methods to circumvent the policy.
Frequently asked questions
Are subtitles saved in the video file?
Live captioning is a function that displays the playback audio as text on the screen. You cannot write subtitles to a video file with this operation alone.
Will the microphone voice also be displayed?
This applies if you enable the setting to include microphone audio. If you want to check only the sound played by the PC, review the settings to include the microphone.
Official sources and verification date
Sources checked: . Check the official sources below for changes to supported systems, plans and menus.