"Live captions" is the name of four different built-in features: one in Windows 11, one on iPhone and iPad, one on Android, and one in Chrome. All four turn speech on your device into text on your screen as it plays. They differ in the switch, the shortcut, translation, and what happens to the text afterwards.
Short version: on Windows 11 press Windows key + Ctrl + L. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions. On Android, press a volume button, tap More, then Live Caption. In Chrome on a computer, turn on Live Caption under Settings > Accessibility. Every step below comes from the vendor's help page, read on 4 November 2026.
The four side by side
| Feature | Windows 11 | iPhone and iPad | Android | Chrome (computer) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turn on | Quick settings, or Settings > Accessibility > Captions | Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions | Volume button > More > Live Caption | More > Settings > Accessibility > Live Caption |
| Shortcut | Windows key + Ctrl + L | Accessibility Shortcut or Control Center, if you add it | The Live Caption icon under the volume controls | Media control button at the top right of Chrome |
| Translation | Copilot+ PCs on Windows 11, version 24H2 and later | FaceTime Live Translation, with Apple Intelligence | Live Translate, Pixel 6 and later only | Live Translate, captions sent to Google |
| Turn off | Switch the same toggle off | Turn the switch off in Settings | Drag the caption box off the bottom of the screen | Turn Live Caption off in Accessibility |
| Saving | "Generated captions are not stored anywhere" | Copy Captions, screenshot or screen recording | "never stored, and never leave your device" | "are never stored, and never leave your device" |
| Needs | Windows 11, version 22H2 or later | iPhone 11 or later, supported iPad | Supported phone; Wi-Fi for the first language pack | Chrome on Windows, Mac, Linux or Chromebook |
Windows 11 live captions
Windows live captions caption "any audio that passes through your PC", so they work in Edge, Teams, a media player or any other app. Microsoft's live captions page gives five ways to turn them on:
- Live captions in quick settings (select the battery, network or volume icon), or the toggle in its Accessibility flyout.
- Windows key + Ctrl + L.
- Start > All apps > Accessibility > Live captions.
- Settings > Accessibility > Captions, then the Live captions toggle.
The first time, Windows asks for consent and downloads language files. You need Windows 11, version 22H2 or later.
To turn them off, switch the same toggle off in quick settings or in Settings > Accessibility > Captions. Microsoft's page describes the ways to turn live captions on, not off.
To translate, you need a Copilot+ PC: "The ability to translate is available on Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11, version 24H2 and later." It translates from over 40 languages into English and 27 into Chinese (Simplified).
To save the captions, Microsoft's answer is that you can't from live captions itself: "Generated captions are not stored anywhere on the device or the cloud." The page lists no save or export option. For a meeting record, see how to save live captions, which covers Teams, Google Meet and Zoom transcripts.
Windows live captions not working
These checks come from Microsoft's page and its troubleshooting page:
- Nothing from your headset call: live captions listen to "the default sound output device configured in Settings > System > Sound". Change the default device.
- Your own voice is not captioned: turn on Include microphone audio under Settings > Preferences in the captions window. It is off each time live captions start.
- Captions lag or drop: close apps you are not using, especially apps that share video.
- "We can't download the required language files right now": check your connection and whether the Microsoft Store can download apps. On a work PC, the Store may be blocked.
Live Captions on iPhone and iPad
Apple's iPhone guide says: "Live Captions is available on iPhone 11 or later." The iPad guide has the same steps for supported iPad models.
- Open Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions and turn on Live Captions.
- Tap Appearance to change the text, size and color.
- In the Live Captions window, tap Live Captions, then iPhone Audio for sound playing on the phone or Microphone for people talking near you.
Phone calls: under Keep Call Captions, choose 1 Minute or 1 Hour. 1 Minute clears call captions when the call ends. 1 Hour lets you copy or record the transcription, and everyone on the call hears "This call is being transcribed".
FaceTime: during a video call, tap More, then Live Captions. Tap Stop next to Live Captions to end them. FaceTime also has Live Translation for one-on-one calls on iPhones with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro and later). Apple's Live Captions page does not describe translation outside FaceTime.
Shortcut: Apple's quick-access guide lets you triple-click the side or Home button for features you choose under Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut, and add hearing controls to Control Center. Look for Live Captions in that list on your iOS version.
Turn off: turn the switch off in Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions. To pause without turning it off, tap Live Captions, then Pause Listening.
Saving: this is the one system with a built-in copy. Tap More Options, then Copy Captions, and paste into Notes or Messages. Apple also lists a screenshot or screen recording of the window.
iPhone Live Captions not showing
- The window disappeared: Apple says it "is automatically hidden when no audio is detected". Tap the collapsed button to bring it back.
- No Live Captions in Settings: check your model (iPhone 11 or later) and region. Apple says it "isn't available in all languages, countries, or regions."
- Can't copy a call: set Keep Call Captions to 1 Hour before the call.
Live Caption on Android
Google's Live Caption help page gives the quickest route:
- Press a volume button.
- Under the volume controls, tap More, then Live Caption, then Done.
The same steps turn it off, or "Drag the caption box off the bottom of your screen." Settings are under Settings > Accessibility > Live Caption, and steps vary by phone maker.
Translation needs Google's Live Translate, which the page says "is only available on Pixel 6+ devices." Phone calls can be captioned on Pixel and selected Android phones. Saving: Google says "All captions are processed locally, never stored, and never leave your device."
Android Live Caption not working or keeps turning on
- No Live Caption option: search Settings for "Live Caption". If it isn't there, Google says to check with your phone maker.
- First use: connect to Wi-Fi so the language pack can download.
- Captions vanish: "Live Caption turns off automatically in battery saver mode."
- Some apps get nothing: "Captions might be unavailable for some media and calling apps," and it "doesn't work on music."
- It keeps coming back on calls: check Turn call captioning on or off in the Live Caption settings, and hide the Live Caption icon in the volume controls if you keep tapping it by accident.
Live Caption in Chrome
Chrome has Live Caption built into its settings, so you don't need an extension. Chrome Help gives the path for Windows and Mac:
- Open Chrome, select More, then Settings, then Accessibility.
- Turn Live Caption on or off.
- For another language, select Add languages next to "Manage languages", then set Preferred caption language.
On Linux, select Captions first. On a Chromebook, use Settings > Accessibility > Manage accessibility features > Audio and captions.
Chrome lists no keyboard shortcut. The quick control is the Media control button at the top right, and captions appear in a bubble you can drag.
Translation: turn on Live Translate in the same Accessibility settings and pick a language next to "Translate to". Live Translate sends captions to Google; Live Caption itself stays on your device. Saving: "All audio and captions are processed locally, are never stored, and never leave your device."
Not working: for videos that autoplay muted, Chrome Help says to "turn on the video volume". If you use Edge on Windows, Windows live captions above cover Edge too.
Live captions are not captions in your video
All four draw text on your own screen while audio plays. Microsoft says its captions "are not stored anywhere", Google says Android and Chrome captions are "never stored", and Apple lets you copy the text or record your screen. None writes captions into the video file you record or post, so a later viewer sees none.
So if you want captions inside a video you publish, burn them into the picture. CapsAI does that for recorded video, not live audio: upload an MP4 or MOV of up to 10 minutes in your browser, edit any word, choose a style and export an MP4 with the captions in the picture. It does not translate. See video to captions, or the phone guides for iPhone and Android. A new account has 3 free minutes. After that, packs are paid once: $4, $9 or $19 (€4, €9 or €19 in the euro area, ₹49, ₹99 or ₹299 in India).
For the caption switch on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Zoom and more, see how to turn on auto captions.