Turn On Live Captions in Zoom

Questions

  • How do I turn on live captions in Zoom?
  • How do I enable auto-transcription in a Zoom meeting?
  • How do I view subtitles in Zoom?
  • Can I see a full transcript during a Zoom meeting?
  • How do I save a Zoom meeting transcript?
  • How do I change the subtitle text size in Zoom?
  • Are live captions available for all Bowdoin Zoom users?
  • How do I hide subtitles from my own screen while keeping them visible for participants?

Environment

This article applies to all Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students using Zoom. Live captions (also called live transcription) are available on the Zoom desktop app and iPad/iOS app. Captions are machine-generated and may not be perfectly accurate, but they are helpful for participants in noisy environments, those without headphones or speakers, English language learners, and anyone who benefits from reading and hearing content at the same time.

Resolution

For Hosts: Enable Auto-Transcription

As a host, you must enable live transcription at the start of each meeting — it does not turn on automatically.

  1. During your meeting, click Live Transcript in the meeting toolbar.
    Zoom menu showing options for assigning a captioner or enabling auto-transcription, with Enable Auto-Transcription button highlighted.
  2. Click Enable Auto-Transcription. Meeting participants will see a notification that live transcription has started.

Once transcription is running, you have additional options from the Live Transcript menu:

  • Hide Subtitle — Hides the caption overlay on your own screen while keeping it visible for participants.
    Menu options above the Live Transcript button: Hide Subtitle, View Full Transcript, Subtitle Settings.
  • Disable Auto-Transcription — Stops live transcription for all participants.
Disable transcript saving: Hosts can prevent participants from saving a copy of the transcript. To do this, go to bowdoin.zoom.us, open Settings > Meeting, and toggle off Save Captions.

For Participants: View Subtitles and Transcripts

Once the host has enabled live transcription, participants can choose how to view it.

  1. Click the Live Transcript button in the meeting toolbar.
    Zoom toolbar with the Live Transcript button circled and a popup stating live transcript is available.
  2. Choose a view option:
    • Show Subtitles — Displays a running caption bar at the bottom of the meeting window.
    • View Full Transcript — Opens a side panel showing captions in real time with speaker names and timestamps. The transcript is searchable.
  3. To save a copy of the transcript, click View Full Transcript, then click Save Transcript. The transcript downloads to your computer.
Save before the meeting ends: The transcript saves only up to the moment you click Save Transcript. Click it just before the meeting ends to capture the full session. The Save Transcript option may not appear if the host has disabled it.

Adjust Subtitle Text Size

  1. Click Live Transcript in the toolbar, then select Subtitle Settings.
    Zoom toolbar showing Live Transcript menu open with Subtitle Settings option circled in green.
  2. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the caption text size.
    Zoom settings showing a font size slider for closed captioning and a preview caption reading Captions will look like this.

Tips for Better Caption Accuracy

  • Use an external microphone or headset. Better audio input directly improves transcription accuracy.
  • Speak at a measured pace. Speaking slowly gives Zoom more time to accurately convert speech to text.
  • Pause briefly before speaking. Zoom uses active speaker tracking to identify who is talking — a short pause helps the system register a speaker change correctly.
  • Monitor the Participants panel. Participants can use non-verbal feedback to signal that a speaker should slow down. Keeping the Participants panel open lets you see these signals in real time.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.
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