Live Captions
Also: real-time captions, live transcription
Published
Definition
Live Captions is a macOS accessibility feature that shows a real-time transcription of spoken audio in a window on your screen, for audio in any app and for live conversations around you. Audio is processed on the device, and the feature is available only on Mac computers with Apple silicon.
Live Captions is one of the accessibility features for hearing on a Mac, and it is useful to anyone who wants to follow a call, a video or a podcast with the sound low. It can caption what your Mac is playing or what its microphone hears, and you switch between the two with one click.
It is a reading tool, not a writing tool. Apple describes a window of captions that follows the audio. If you want your own speech typed into a document, that is the job of Dictation, which is a different feature.
How to turn on Live Captions on a Mac
Live Captions is in Accessibility settings. The first time you turn it on, language data is downloaded to your Mac, so you must be connected to the internet for that step.
- Choose Apple menu → System Settings, then click Accessibility in the sidebar.
- Click Live Captions. You may need to scroll down.
- Turn Live Captions on.
- Wait for the language data to download if this is the first time.
- Play audio in any app, or start a call. The Live Captions window appears and transcribes the audio in real time.
- To keep the window visible when nothing is playing, click the Live Captions icon in the menu bar and choose Keep Onscreen.
How to turn off or pause Live Captions
You can pause captioning at any time without turning the feature off. The window is also hidden automatically if no audio is detected, so a missing window does not always mean Live Captions is off.
- To pause, click the pause button in the Live Captions window, or click the Live Captions icon in the menu bar and choose Stop Live Captions.
- To resume, click the button in the window again, or choose Start Live Captions from the menu bar icon.
- To turn the feature off completely, choose Apple menu → System Settings and click Accessibility.
- Click Live Captions.
- Turn Live Captions off.
How to caption the microphone or the computer audio
Live Captions has two sources. Computer audio is the sound coming out of your Mac, such as a video or the other side of a call. Microphone is the sound picked up by the computer’s microphone, such as an in-person conversation.
To switch, click the button in the top-right corner of the Live Captions window, or click the Live Captions icon in the menu bar and choose Computer Audio or Microphone. By default Live Captions transcribes audio from all apps. A setting called Live Captions in FaceTime limits it to FaceTime only.
Is Live Captions private?
Apple states that for Live Captions, audio is processed on device. For FaceTime it says all audio is processed on your Mac. The only internet requirement Apple lists is the download of language data the first time you turn the feature on.
Apple also sets a limit on how far to trust it. The accuracy of Live Captions may vary, and Apple says it should not be relied upon in high-risk or emergency situations.
Live Captions vs Dictation
Both features turn speech into text, and they are easy to confuse. The difference is where the text goes and whose speech it is.
- Purpose: Live Captions lets you read audio you are listening to. Dictation lets you enter text by speaking.
- Output: Live Captions shows text in its own window. Dictation puts text at the insertion point in the app you are using.
- Source: Live Captions can follow computer audio or the microphone. Dictation listens to the microphone source chosen in Keyboard settings.
- Location: Live Captions is under System Settings → Accessibility. Dictation is under System Settings → Keyboard.
- Hardware: Live Captions is available only on Mac computers with Apple silicon.
Live Captions not working or not showing
Most problems come down to hardware, language, or the wrong audio source. Check each of these.
- Your Mac does not have Apple silicon. Apple says Live Captions is available only on Mac computers with Apple silicon.
- Your language or region is not supported. Apple’s macOS Feature Availability page lists Live Captions for varieties of English, French, German, Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, plus Japanese and Korean.
- The language data has not downloaded. Connect to the internet and turn Live Captions on again.
- The window is hidden because no audio is detected. Choose Keep Onscreen from the Live Captions icon in the menu bar.
- The wrong source is selected. Switch between Computer Audio and Microphone.
- Live Captions in FaceTime is turned on in Live Captions settings, which limits captions to FaceTime.
Questions people ask.
How do I turn on Live Captions on my Mac?
Choose Apple menu → System Settings, click Accessibility, click Live Captions, and turn it on. The first time, language data is downloaded, so you must be connected to the internet.
Does Live Captions work on Intel Macs?
No. Apple says Live Captions is available only on Mac computers with Apple silicon, and it is not available in all languages, countries, or regions.
Does Live Captions send my audio to Apple?
Apple states that Live Captions audio is processed on device. An internet connection is needed the first time you turn it on, to download language data.
Can Live Captions caption a FaceTime call?
Yes. During a FaceTime video call you can turn on Live Captions from the call controls, and Apple says all audio is processed on your Mac. Apple also notes that Live Captions uses additional power.
Can I change the size or color of Live Captions?
Yes. In System Settings → Accessibility → Live Captions you can change the font family, font size, font color and background color. You can also resize the window by dragging any edge.
What is Type to Speak in Live Captions?
It is a field in the Live Captions window where you type what you want to say and press Return, and your Mac speaks it out loud. If you do not see the field, click the Live Captions icon in the menu bar and choose Type to Speak.
