Live Captions is a notable Accessibility feature designed to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing listen to audio, take part in video conversations, or watch movies with the desired convenience. When activated, it shows real-time captions for any audio or video content so that you can follow along at your own pace.
Leveraging the ML-powered speech recognition models to its best advantage, it is equipped to analyze audio in real-time, transforming the spoken words into text. As the ML models used for Live Captions run locally on your Windows device, your data isn’t sent to the cloud. The entire on-device processing not only adds an extra layer of shield to your personal information but also eliminates the need for an internet connection. Hence, you can use it offline without bothering about your poor internet connection derailing your whole experience.
Despite being so efficient, Windows 11 Live Captions doesn’t always work as expected. At times, it fails to show up at all. At other times, it’s unable to process your audio with the desired speed and precision. For this very reason, I thought it would be nice to dig a bit deep and jot down the best tips and tricks to resolve the Live Captions issues on your Windows device.
Fix Windows 11 Live Captions Not Working Problem
What could have derailed Live Captions on your PC, preventing it from running smoothly? A number of factors could be behind the malfunctioning of this Windows 11 Accessibility feature including –
- Corrupted Accessibility settings
- Wrong configuration
- Miscellaneous software glitch
- Botched-up audio settings
- Problematic apps
- Sluggish internet connection (initially)
- Outdated audio drivers
- Persistent Windows bug
In this in-depth guide, I have taken each of these roadblocks into account and discussed ways to fix the ill-functioning Live Captions. So, go ahead with the suggested solutions meticulously.
1. Ensure Live Captions is Active on Your PC
To begin with, why not ensure that the Live Captions is live and kicking on your PC? Yeah, it sounds rather basic but there is no harm in taking care of the fundamentals – especially when they are the key aspects.
- Go to Settings on your PC > Accessibility > Captions and ensure the Live Captions toggle is active.
- For a more personalized experience, you can customize things like font size, color, and background.
2. Soft Reset Live Captions
Whether the Windows 11 Live Captions is not showing up on your device or it seems to be malfunctioning, a quick soft reset can help resolve the minor glitches.
- Press the Windows + Ctrl + L and then turn off the toggle for Live Captions. After waiting for a few seconds, turn this toggle back on and check if the issue is gone.
3. Check Internet Connection
It’s no secret that Live Captions warrants a strong and stable internet connection for initial downloads. Therefore, double-check if your Windows device is connected to a fully functional internet connection.
4. Download Live Captions Language Pack
Keep in mind that you need to first download the Live Captions language pack. Thus, be sure to tick off this requirement before moving any further.
- Head over to Settings > Time & language > Language & region > Add a language. Now, download the preferred language (e.g., English (US).
- Additionally, make sure that the Speech option for the language has been installed as well.
5. Adjust Audio Settings
Note that the wrongly configured audio settings might also be equally responsible for the Live Captions issues. Therefore, check your audio settings and ensure that they are in line with the requirements.
- Navigate to Settings on your computer > System > Sound and fine-tune the settings properly.
6. Restart Your PC
If a temporary Windows software glitch is coming in the way and hurting the functionality of the Live Captions, there is a decent chance that rebooting your system will let you flush out the glitch. So, reboot your system to check if it’s able to bring this Accessibility feature back into action.
7. Check Your Microphone Permissions
Another important thing you need to check off is to ensure that important apps and services have been allowed to access and use the microphone on your PC.
- Dive into Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
- Now, take a close look at the settings, making sure that the necessary apps and services can use your device’s microphone.
8. Check & Adjust Regional Settings
Is your system’s region in compliance with the supported area for Live Captions? If not, be sure to check your regional settings and adjust them in accordance with the requirements.
- Open the Settings app on your computer > Time & language > Language & region.
- Now, I’d suggest you set your region to the United States and restart your device to make the change take effect without any hurdle.
9. Update Your Apps
It’s worth pointing out that not all apps are compatible with Live Captions. Therefore, if you are unable to use it inside a specific app, the problem could be with that app. To sort out the app’s incompatibility issue, try updating it.
- Launch the Microsoft Store on your PC > Click the Library tab at the bottom left corner of the screen > Now, locate the apps in question and update them right away.
10. Update Windows
When was the last time you upgraded Windows on your PC? If it’s been a long time, it wouldn’t be wrong to blame a Windows bug for the malfunctioning of the Live Captions.
- Be sure to check for updates and install them by going to Settings app > Windows Update.
11. Restart the Live Captions Service
Should Live Captions continue to malfunction, I would recommend you reboot the Live Captions service. For times when this noted Accessibility feature seems to be plagued by a bug or tends to ill-function, this effective solution often comes to the rescue.
- On your Windows 11 device, launch the Run dialog (Win + R).
- In the text field, type services.msc, and press Enter.
- Now, locate for “Live Captions Service” and right-click on it.
- Choose the “Restart” option and then set its Startup type to Automatic.
12. Run the Speech Troubleshooter
Can’t get the Live Captions to work on your PC as yet? Now is the right time to run the Windows “Speech Troubleshooter” which is well-known for fixing live captions-related issues.
- On your Windows computer, head into the Settings app and select the System tab in the left sidebar.
- Select Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
- Now, scroll down to find “Speech” and click the Run button to diagnose and resolve issues.
13. Update Audio Drivers
Corrupted audio drivers could also be working as the major roadblocks for Live Captions and preventing this feature from functioning correctly. The most viable way to take on this issue is to update the audio drivers.
- Launch Device Manager (Win+X) on your PC > Now, click on the small arrow to the left of the Sound, video, and Game Controllers section to expand it.
- Once that’s done, right-click on your audio device and choose Update driver.
- Then, choose “Search automatically for drivers” and then do the needful to update your audio drivers.
14. Reinstall Audio Drivers
Should Live Captions remain dysfunctional, reinstall the audio drivers.
- Open the Device Manager and expand the Sound, video, and game controllers section.
- Next, right-click on your audio device and choose Uninstall device.
- Restart your PC and try to use Live Captions to find out if the problem is gone.
15. Restart Audio Services
Restarting the audio services has brought “Live Captions” back to life for a good many users. So, I’m going to bet on it to restore the real-time captions your PC as well.
- Open Run (Win + R) on your PC and type services.msc > press Enter.
- Now, you need to restart “Windows Audio, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder” and Audio Services.
16. Reset Accessibility Settings
No luck as yet? Resetting the Accessibility settings can be worth giving a chance as it has the knack of troubleshooting the misfiring Accessibility features. Don’t worry about losing any media or data as it goes about the job without even touching your precious information.
- Navigate to the Settings app on your Windows device > Choose Accessibility in the left sidebar > Captions.
- Click on the Reset button and then fine-tune the Live Captions settings from scratch.
- Once you have reconfigured the settings, restart your PC > trigger Live Captions to figure out if the issue has been sorted out.
17. Reinstall the Live Captions Feature
In some cases, you may need to install the additional Live Captions feature. If you haven’t tick-marked this requirement, run through the quick steps below.
- Navigate to the Settings app > Apps > Optional features > Now, search for Live Captions and then uninstall it.
- After you have successfully uninstalled Live Captions, restart your PC.
- Then, head back into the same Optional features section, and reinstall it.
18. Disable Third-Party Antivirus or Firewalls
With a view to boosting security and privacy, your antivirus or Firewall might have blocked the path of Live Captions. To ward off this possibility, temporarily disable it on your PC.
- To turn off the firewall on your PC, go to the Settings app > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection.
19. Perform a System File Check
Do not overlook the corrupted system files as they might be making life difficult for your Windows Live Captions. To flush out the malicious system files, bring on the SFC aka System File Checker.
- To get going, launch the Command Prompt on your device as an administrator.
- Next up, type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
- Once the scanning is done, be sure to restart your PC.
Wrapping up…
And that’s about it! I hope Live Captions has returned to form and so has your peace-of-mind audio listening or video streaming experience on your PC. With a wide range of real-life tested solutions, this guide has taken care of all the pivotal aspects, ensuring you are able to have a clear understanding of the usual suspects and stop them from ruining your experience. Have any feedback to share? The comments section is already waiting for you!
