Live Captions / Live captions on Windows 10

How to get live captions on Windows 10

Updated October 27, 2026

Windows 10 does not have the built-in Live Captions feature: Microsoft added it only in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later. To get real-time captions for any sound on a Windows 10 PC, install a captioning app such as Live Captions & Transcribe from the Microsoft Store; for one app at a time, you can also use Chrome's Live Caption or the captions built into Zoom, Teams, Google Meet and YouTube.

Which option is right depends on what you want to caption. If everything happens in one browser tab or one meeting app, that app's own captions may be enough. If you switch between a Teams call, a YouTube video and a recorded lecture, or you want to keep a transcript, you need something that listens to the whole PC.

Your options on Windows 10 at a glance

Option	What it captions	Keeps a transcript	Cost
Live Captions & Transcribe	Any sound on the PC, or the microphone	Yes: history on your PC, TXT/SRT export	Free to try, then minute packs or a subscription
Chrome Live Caption	Only audio playing in Chrome	No	Free
Captions in Zoom, Teams or Google Meet	Only calls in that app	Depends on the app and your plan	Depends on the app and your plan
YouTube captions	Only YouTube videos that have captions	No	Free
Windows 11 Live Captions	Not available on Windows 10

Option 1: Live Captions & Transcribe (captions for everything on the PC)

Live Captions & Transcribe is a Windows app from the publisher Live Subtitles. It listens to the sound your computer plays, or to your microphone, and shows what is said as text about one second later, in a window that stays on top of other apps. It works on Windows 10 and Windows 11 (x64).

Install it from the Microsoft Store. Open the Live Captions & Transcribe page in the Microsoft Store and click Get. No account or card is needed to try it.
Open the app. The caption window appears on top of your other windows. Move it and resize it, for example under a video or next to a meeting.
Choose what to listen to. Pick computer sound for Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, WhatsApp or Discord calls, YouTube, Netflix, podcasts and online lectures. Pick the microphone for people speaking in the room.
Press Start. Captions appear as people speak. The language is detected automatically from 60 speech languages, so you don't have to set it before each call.
Make it easy to read. Set the text size (up to 64 pt) and choose a light, dark or high-contrast style. Turn on click-through so your mouse clicks pass through the caption window to the app underneath.
Go back to what was said. Each session is saved in the history on your PC. Search it by word, rename "Speaker 1" and "Speaker 2" to real names, copy the text, or export it to TXT or SRT.

Each speaker gets their own color and starts on a new line, which makes a fast discussion much easier to follow. Nothing is installed into Zoom or your browser, no bot joins the meeting, and the other people in the call don't see your captions.

Good to know. The app needs an internet connection. While captions are running, the audio is sent to a cloud speech recognition service; it is not recorded, and transcripts stay on your PC. It shows captions in the spoken language only and does not translate. If you need translation, use the sister app Live Subtitles.

Option 2: Chrome Live Caption (audio in the browser only)

Google Chrome has its own Live Caption feature, and it runs on Windows 10.

Open Chrome and go to Settings → Accessibility (or type chrome://settings/accessibility in the address bar).
Turn on Live Caption.
Play a video or join a call in a Chrome tab. Captions appear in a small box at the bottom of the window.

The limit is in the name of the browser: Chrome Live Caption only captions audio that plays in Chrome. It does not caption the Zoom or Teams desktop apps, a media player, or a lecture recording opened outside the browser, and it does not save what was said.

Option 3: Captions inside the app you are using

Many apps have their own captions, usually behind a CC or Captions button:

Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet: live captions during a call. Depending on the app and your plan, the meeting host or your organization's admin may need to allow them, and the choice of spoken languages varies.
YouTube: captions written by the creator or generated automatically, for videos that have them.

This works well if you spend your day in one app. The downside is that every app works differently, the captions stop as soon as you switch to something else, and many videos, webinars and voice calls have no captions at all.

Which option should you pick?

Only YouTube or browser videos: Chrome Live Caption or YouTube's captions are enough.
One meeting app that already offers captions: try its built-in captions first.
Calls, videos and lectures in different apps, fast or accented speech, or recordings without subtitles: use Live Captions & Transcribe, because it captions the sound of the whole PC.
You need a transcript afterwards: Live Captions & Transcribe keeps a searchable history with TXT/SRT export.

Big text and speaker colors also help people who are hard of hearing follow family video calls. If you later move to Windows 11, you can keep using the same app; see how it compares with the Windows 11 built-in Live Captions.

Try Live Captions & Transcribe free on Windows 10 or 11. No account, no card.

Get it from Microsoft Store

Questions and answers

Does Windows 10 have Live Captions?

No. The built-in Live Captions feature is part of Windows 11 (version 22H2 and later) and is not available on Windows 10. On Windows 10 you need a captioning app such as Live Captions & Transcribe, or captions inside a single app such as Chrome, Zoom, Teams, Google Meet or YouTube.

Can I get captions for Zoom or Teams calls on Windows 10?

Yes. You can use the captions built into Zoom or Teams if they are available in your account, or run Live Captions & Transcribe, which captions the sound your PC plays. Nothing is installed into Zoom or Teams, no bot joins the meeting, and the other people in the call do not see your captions.

Is there a free way to get live captions on Windows 10?

Chrome Live Caption is free but captions only audio playing in Chrome. YouTube, Zoom, Teams and Google Meet have their own captions inside their apps. Live Captions & Transcribe captions any sound on the PC and is free to try without an account or card; after that you buy minute packs or a monthly or yearly subscription (see prices).

Does Live Captions & Transcribe work offline?

No. It needs an internet connection. While captions are running, the audio is sent to a cloud speech recognition service to turn it into text. The audio is not recorded, and the transcripts are saved only on your PC. Details are in the privacy policy.

Can I save the captions as a transcript on Windows 10?

With Live Captions & Transcribe, yes. Every session is kept in a history on your PC, where you can search it, rename speakers, copy the text or export it to TXT or SRT.

Will the captions be translated into my language?

No. Live Captions & Transcribe shows captions in the language that is being spoken; it does not translate. For real-time translation, the sister app Live Subtitles shows the original and a translation together.