Live captions

Use live captions to better understand audio

Live captions can provide automatic transcription of audio to text on the screen. To turn on live captions, do one of the following:

• Turn on the Live captions toggle in the quick settings Accessibility flyout. (To open quick settings, select the battery, network, or volume icon on the taskbar.)
• Press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + L.
• Select Start > All apps > Accessibility > Live captions.
• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Captions and turn on the Live captions toggle. 

Personalize how captions are displayed

With live captions, you can personalize how captions are displayed. To choose where captions are displayed on your desktop:

1. Select the Settings button in the live captions window.

2. Select Position.

3. Choose either Top, Bottom, or Floating on screen: when you choose Top or Bottom, the captions window will dock at the top or bottom of the screen without blocking other apps (Top is ideal for virtual meetings, while Bottom works well for viewing videos), and when you choose Floating, the live captions will appear in a repositionable overlay window to avoid obscuring other apps.

Make live captions easier to read

By adjusting the appearance of live captions, you can make them easier to read. To select a style that suits your needs:

1. Select the Settings button in the live captions window.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Select Caption style. The Accessibility settings for Captions opens.
4. Under Caption style, select a built-in style from the dropdown menu (with the Default style adjusting to your device’s dark or light mode in Settings > Personalization > Colors > Choose your mode) or click the Edit button to create a custom style that suits your preferences.