You have probably been on a live video or audio call several times where you missed various parts of the conversation. This could be because the connection or quality of the audio is not up to par. Or, you may have hearing problems that prevent you from being able to catch the words.
With live captions, everyone, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing, can improve their understanding of audio by automatically transcribing it. This feature is available in Windows 11 and newer versions.
Windows 11 has a feature that enables users to use live captions and see the text in conversations. This can be used with various applications and is customizable.
In addition, you can turn on live captions with an open microphone, which may be helpful when talking to others in person. This guide will help you configure and set up Live Captions.
In this article, we’ll show you how to enable live captions in Windows 11.
Table of Contents
Use Live Caption Using Windows 11
You can easily access Live Captions language files by turning them on or off using the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + L.”
You can also enable it through the settings page. After enabling the feature, you can play a video or audio file and see how it appears on the screen.
What Do You Need To Do to Enable Live Captions in Windows 11?
The live captions feature is only available on Windows 11, but you need to be running version 22H2 or newer to use it.
To check the number of installed updates, go to the Settings app and select System > About. If you are unsure about the latest version, go to the settings app and select Windows Update.
With live captions, people who are deaf can easily read and filter the information on the screen while they are working in other apps or on the Windows desktop. They can also be used for audio, even when not connected to the internet.
You will also be able to personalize how they appear and how they are displayed in the content. In-person conversations can also be made easier by adding microphone audio.
First Step: Start Your Audio or Video Call
To enable speech into text, go to your computer’s System tray, click the network, battery, and volume icons, and then choose the Accessibility feature. You can also turn on the feature by pressing the Windows key+Ctrl +L. You will prompt to install if Live Captions is not installed
The first time you enable this feature, you will be asked to agree to locally processing your voice data. Microsoft claims that it won’t share your speech with the cloud.
Second Step: View the Caption that Pop-ups on Top of Your Screen
To start showing the captions, go to the “Ready to caption” window and keep it afloat. You can also reset the audio settings in Windows so that when other people on the call speak, the automatic transcription will kick in after your companion speaks. It will show something like this below:
It will be transcribed into the window, which will prevent you from seeing your own words. Moreover, each person’s caption will be displayed as they speak, with the next line following the previous one.
To better understand audio, go to your web browser and select your desired option.
- In the quick settings flyout, turn on the Live Captions feature. Select the service network, volume, or battery icon from the taskbar to start.
- To activate the logo key and the L and C keys, go to the Windows logo and press “+.”
- To start, select all apps and Accessibility. Then, choose Live Captions.
- To turn on the live captions option, go to the settings section and click on Accessibility.
The first time you turn on live captions, it will prompt you to download the language files that will be used by your device’s speech recognition system.
Third Step: Enlarge Your Window Caption
To enlarge the captions window, drag it to the top or bottom and reposition it around the screen. You can also do this by dragging it across the entire window.
The captions will appear on the top-left corner of the screen while you are working on other tasks, allowing you to see the text of the discussion while keeping other applications open.
- To view captions on your desktop, select the location where you want them to appear.
- In the live captions window, click on the settings button.
- Select from either the top, bottom, or floating position.
Furthermore, the captions window will be docked to the top and bottom of the screen, depending on which option you choose. It will not block other apps and work well if you watch videos or share a virtual meeting.
On the other hand, if you’re watching videos and want to ensure that the captions work properly, you can choose to dock to the bottom.
When you select Floating on screen, you will be able to view live captions style in an overlay window, which can be repositioned to obscure other apps while keeping the captions visible.
You can increase the window size by pressing the keyboard and mouse or touching the on-device to show more text.
Fourth Step: See Captions For Your Own Words
In the settings window, click the “Include microphone audio” button which can be found under Caption Options . You can then select the option to add the audio to your own words. You can also configure the settings to prevent the captions from showing offensive language.
Fifth Step: Choose the Style of Your Caption
You can modify the font style of the captions by going to the settings icon in the window and selecting the option “Caption style.”
It is also possible to customize the default color blue of the caption to white, black, small caps, large text, or yellow or change it to another option by going to the settings icon in the Accessibility section.
- In the captions window, go to the settings button and select the style that you want to use.
- To configure built-in captions, go to the menu and select the option you want. For example, you can use the default built-in style that supports captions appropriate for your device’s light or dark mode.
If you’re unhappy with the built-in options, you can create your own caption style. In the caption style section, click the Edit button. You can then choose the colors, effects, and opacity and resize the text.
Then, click the “Background” button in the Window section and choose the opacity and color. You can then type the name of the style that you want to use in the field that will appear next to “name your style.” You can refer to the screenshot below
Conclusion
If you have any questions or you want more information about live captions, please let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear from you!