Chrome’s floating caption box gets in the way when you don’t need it. Turn Live Caption off through Chrome’s accessibility settings or its media controls while something is playing. If your device’s system caption feature controls the overlay, use the matching device settings below.
Turn off Live Caption in Chrome settings
On Windows or Mac, open Chrome’s More menu, the three dots at the top right. Select Settings, then Accessibility. Switch Live Caption off. That disables Chrome’s caption feature instead of just closing the box.
On Linux, the switch sits one level deeper. Follow More > Settings > Accessibility > Captions, then turn Live Caption off.
Use the media controls while audio is playing
Already playing something? Chrome’s toolbar media controls let you change the same Live Caption setting on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Click Media control at the top right of Chrome.
Switch Live Caption off. If Media control isn’t available, open More > Settings > Accessibility, then switch Live Caption off; on Linux, select Captions first.
Stop captions from returning after you close the box
On desktop Chrome, the caption box’s X closes only the current caption session, so captions come back later. Switch Live Caption off to stop them returning.
Enter chrome://settings/accessibility in Chrome’s address bar. On Windows or macOS, switch Live Caption off.
On Linux, open Captions. Switch Live Caption off on that page.
Check system captions on Windows or Mac
An enabled Windows or macOS caption feature keeps its own overlay visible after Chrome’s Live Caption is off.
On Windows 11, open the Windows Settings app. Go to Accessibility > Captions. Switch Live captions off. This controls Windows-generated captions independently of Chrome.
On a supported Apple-silicon Mac, open Apple menu > System Settings. Choose Accessibility > Live Captions. Turn Live Captions off. The caption window’s Pause button only pauses transcription; it leaves the feature enabled.
Switch off captions on your Chromebook
Select the time at the bottom right of the screen. Open Settings. Select Accessibility. Under Audio and captions, select Captions.
Switch Live Caption off. For a quicker option, click the caption bubble’s X, which also turns Live Caption off on Chromebook, unlike desktop Chrome on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Disable Android captions in your phone settings
On supported Android phones, Android’s system Live Caption feature supplies the caption overlay over Chrome.
- 1.Open your phone’s Settings app.
- 2.Go to Accessibility > Live Caption. On supported Samsung Galaxy devices, use Accessibility > Hearing enhancements > Live Caption instead. For a different layout, search Settings for Live Caption and open the matching setting.
- 3.Turn the feature’s switch off. Samsung calls it Use Live Caption; the switch wording varies across other Android devices.
Stop system captions on iPhone or iPad
On supported iPhones and iPads, Apple’s system Live Captions feature supplies the caption overlay while you use Chrome. Open your device’s Settings app. Go to Accessibility > Live Captions. Turn Live Captions off.
Swiping the caption window left or right only hides it. Selecting Pause Listening pauses transcription without disabling the feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do subtitles still appear after I turn off browser and system captions?
A website or another app has separate subtitle controls. During a Gemini Live chat in Chrome, click Turn off live captions at the top to disable that conversation’s captions.
Does turning off Live Translate also turn off Live Caption?
No. Translation and captions are separate controls. Turn Live Caption off to stop Chrome’s captions.
Can I turn off Android Live Caption directly from the caption box?
Yes. On Android devices supporting Google’s Live Caption implementation, drag the caption box off the bottom of the screen. This both hides the box and turns Live Caption off.
What should I do if the Live Caption setting is locked on a work computer?
Contact your administrator. An enforced Chrome policy prevents you from changing the setting yourself.