Captions with the right flow
Turn on captions in OBS
Captions work reliably only when the plugin receives the right audio and your Scene is ready to display text. With simple setup and a few tests before you go live, you get more accurate, synced captions that viewers can actually read.
1) Check the Ingest audio source
Cloud Closed Captions uses real-time speech recognition to turn audio into text. Before anything else, confirm the Ingest is receiving audio normally and that the source used in the Scene is not muted. If audio does not reach OBS correctly, no captions will be generated.
2) Open Cloud Closed Captions
In OBS, go to Tools → Cloud Closed Captions. Then enable Captioning Enabled to turn on caption generation. If needed, configure speech recognition service credentials as well. To monitor live, open the captions panel under View → Docks → Captions.
3) Choose the correct audio source
In the plugin settings, select the audio source used to generate captions. Ideally, pick exactly the audio active in your Scene at that moment. If you have multiple Ingests or speakers during the stream, revisit this selection whenever needed to keep recognition accurate.
4) Decide how captions are displayed
There are two main ways to present captions. The first is closed captions, sending text directly to compatible platforms. The second is open captions, adding a text source to the Scene so content appears directly on the video. In general, open captions offer more predictability because they appear regardless of platform support.
5) Run a test before you go live
Set aside a few minutes for a test stream. Check that text appears correctly, watch the plugin status panel, and note any delay or cut-off phrases. Use this time to adjust size, position, alignment, and contrast of the caption font.
6) What to check when captions do not appear
When captions fail, the issue is usually a simple setting. Confirm Captioning Enabled is on, the selected audio source is receiving signal, review the output options configured in the plugin, and make sure the text source is visible on the Scene being streamed. Test one variable at a time to identify exactly where the problem is.
Frequently asked questions
- Why are captions missing even with the plugin enabled?
- Most often the selected audio source is not receiving signal, is muted, or caption output was not configured correctly. For open captions, also check that the text source is visible on the Scene.
- How do I choose the correct audio source?
- Select the source that contains the speech to be converted to text. Whenever participants, cameras, or audio sources change, review the setting so the plugin keeps listening to the right source.
- What is the difference between open and closed captions?
- Closed captions depend on platform or player support to display for viewers. Open captions are part of the video itself, shown directly through a text source configured in the Scene.
- Do captions work on multistream broadcasts?
- Yes. With open captions, the text becomes part of the final video. Any platform that receives the stream will show the captions normally.
- How long until captions start appearing?
- Generation usually starts within a few seconds after audio processing begins. If delay is excessive or unstable, check audio quality and confirm the plugin is receiving signal correctly.
Make your stream more accessible
Captions improve the viewer experience, increase accessibility, and make your stream easier to follow in different situations. Set everything up ahead of time and validate the result before you start the live.
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