The YouTube video has no subtitles. How do I get some?
When the CC button is greyed out, the video has no caption track, and YouTube has nothing to show or translate. Add WatchTranslate, click WT on the player and choose audio recognition: it listens to the speech and writes English subtitles as the video plays.
Watch on your phone
Scan to get the app
Three steps to subtitles on a video that has none
Add WatchTranslate
Add the extension to Chrome or Edge on your computer and sign in to WatchTranslate. New accounts get 20 free minutes.
Open the video on youtube.com
Use the video's own page rather than a player embedded on another site. Signing in to YouTube is not needed.
WTIs there anything you've learned now at your age?Pick audio recognition and start
Click WT, set Subtitle source to audio recognition and Target language to English, then press Start translation and play.
What changes on a video with no captions
Subtitles from the speech itself
No track is needed. The words come from what people actually say, so a fresh upload or an old vlog with no captions still gets a line to read.
Any spoken language in, English out
Leave Source language on Auto-detect for Japanese, Korean, Spanish or Arabic speech, or pick it yourself when a clip mixes languages.
A subtitle file you can keep
Export what has been generated as SRT or VTT: original, English or both. YouTube's transcript panel cannot give you a file like that.
Videos that most often have no captions
Fresh uploads
Posted an hour ago, before YouTube has produced any automatic captions.
Live-stream replays
Long replays of streams and premieres, which often stay without a track.
Cooking and craft channels
Home cooks and makers abroad who talk over their hands and never add captions.
Travel and street interviews
Handheld clips with fast, casual speech in a language YouTube may not caption.
Filmed podcasts
Hour-long conversations uploaded as video, with no captions at all.
Older uploads
Videos from years ago that were never captioned and never will be.
Can YouTube do anything when there are no captions?
If YouTube offers any track, use it first. WatchTranslate is for the rows where YouTube has nothing to offer.
| What you see on the player | What YouTube can do | With WatchTranslate |
|---|---|---|
| CC works, English listed | Turn on the English captions | Nothing needed |
| CC works, no English | Auto-translate, one language at a time | English with the original line below |
| CC greyed out | No captions and no Auto-translate | Listens to the speech and writes English |
| Only a transcript panel | Read the text beside the video | Timed subtitles on the picture, plus an SRT file |
The table describes YouTube in a computer browser, signed out.
What we tried on YouTube
On a computer with the live extension, signed out of YouTube, on a video with no caption track, using audio recognition.
- Works
Japanese street interview · first English line in about 10 s
The video had no caption track. Audio recognition picked up the Japanese speech; English on top, Japanese below.
Tested 8 Nov 2026 · extension 0.5.732 · Chrome · signed out of YouTube
Watch on your phone
Scan to get the app
Then go back to the video, click WT and choose audio recognition.
In detail
First find out which problem you have
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| CC button greyed out | No caption track exists for this video | Set Subtitle source to audio recognition |
| CC works, but no English | A track exists in another language | Keep the video's own captions as the source and translate them |
| Auto-captions are full of errors | The track is machine-made and misheard | Switch to audio recognition to listen again |
| Only Show transcript | The text exists, but not as subtitles | Use the track as the source, or audio recognition if it is unreadable |
Why some YouTube videos have no captions
A caption track on YouTube comes from one of two places: the creator uploads one, or YouTube's speech recognition makes one automatically. Many videos get neither. YouTube's own help page says automatic captions may not appear when processing hasn't finished, the language isn't supported, the video is long, there's a long silence at the start, the sound is poor or several people talk over each other. A greyed-out CC button doesn't tell you which of these it is, only that there is no text to show or to translate.
Audio recognition: subtitles without a track
With Subtitle source set to audio recognition, WatchTranslate listens to the part you are watching, writes down the original speech and translates it. You see English on top and the original below. It costs 1 credit per minute, windows that fail are not charged, and stretches with no speech come back empty rather than invented.
A track exists but is in the wrong language
That is a different problem with a cheaper fix. Leave Subtitle source on the video's own captions and set Target language to English: the existing text is translated at 0.2 credits per minute, and timing follows the original track.
Transcript or subtitle file?
YouTube's Show transcript lets you read or copy the words beside the video, but it is not a subtitle file. From WatchTranslate's Export tab you get SRT or VTT with timestamps, containing whatever has been generated so far. To cover a whole video, prepare it in advance first and check that nothing is left unfinished.
How WatchTranslate writes subtitles from audio
Does it upload the whole video?
No. It works on the stretch you are watching and the next one, about 30 seconds each, and only the audio of those stretches is processed. After you skip ahead, it starts again from where you landed.
Why does the first line take a few seconds?
Each stretch is recognised first and then translated by a large language model that also sees the sentences around it. On the Japanese interview above that took about 10 seconds from pressing Start; after that, lines keep pace with playback.
What if nobody is talking?
Music, background noise and silent footage give speech recognition nothing to write, so those parts stay without a line. That is expected, and it is not the same as a window that failed.
What YouTube itself says
From the YouTube Help Center, checked signed out of YouTube on .
Automatic captions are made by speech recognition, and YouTube lists reasons they may be missing: the video is still processing or too long, the language isn't supported, the start is silent, the sound is poor or people talk at once.
support.google.com/youtube/answer/6373554Captions that do exist are turned on, off and styled from the player's CC button and settings menu.
support.google.com/youtube/answer/100078
Get the cleanest subtitles from audio
Start where someone is speaking
Skip an intro of music or titles, then press Start; the first line arrives sooner and is easier to judge.
Name the language for mixed clips
When speakers switch languages, set Source language yourself so recognition listens for the right one.
Keep the original line on screen
Show both lines; where the audio is unclear, the original tells you what was heard.
Prepare long videos before watching
For an hour-long podcast, prepare the whole video first and export once it is complete.
About YouTube videos with no subtitles
Why is the CC button greyed out?
The video has no caption track: the creator uploaded none and YouTube has not generated one. YouTube lists processing, length, language, silence and sound quality as possible reasons.
Can YouTube's Auto-translate help here?
No. Auto-translate only translates a track that already exists. With no track, the words have to come from the audio first.
Will the captions appear later?
Sometimes. A new upload may get automatic captions once processing finishes. If you don't want to wait, use audio recognition now.
Do I need to download the video?
No. Keep the YouTube page open and WatchTranslate works on the player. For a file already on your computer, use the local player instead.
Do I need to sign in to YouTube?
No. We tested signed out. You do sign in to WatchTranslate, which keeps track of your free minutes.
How accurate are subtitles made from audio?
Clear speech from one person comes out best. Loud music, crosstalk or heavy accents can produce mistakes, which is why the original line stays visible.
What does it cost?
New accounts get 20 free minutes, no card. After that audio recognition is 1 credit per minute and translating an existing track 0.2; failed windows are free.
Can I save the subtitles?
Yes. Export SRT or VTT from the Export tab, with the original, English or both. Only generated parts are included.
Does it work on a phone?
Install the WatchTranslate app, open the YouTube video inside it and tap Translate.
Is WatchTranslate made by YouTube?
No. It is an independent extension and app that shows subtitles on YouTube's player without changing the video.
One tool to understand foreign-language videos on many sites
Translates as you watch, wherever you are in the video
Jump anywhere and it translates there — no need to translate the whole video first.
Translate videos on YouTube, X, Bilibili and more
Translate existing subtitles directly, or generate bilingual subtitles when there are none.
Better translation quality than traditional machine or real-time translation
AI language models use context and connect the surrounding dialogue to understand meaning.
Export subtitles as SRT / VTT files
Download generated subtitles as original, translated, or bilingual text and load them in common players.
Already translated by someone? Watch it free
Sign up free to reuse generated subtitles for the same video, subtitle source and languages, even after your credits run out.
Bilingual subtitles on your phone
Play video files on your phone, or open a video site in the app's built-in browser and tap Translate. A native player handles more video formats than the web player.
Keep reading
Related questions
- YouTube auto-translate has no EnglishWhen captions exist in another language
- Web video with no subtitle trackThe same question on other sites
- Export SRT or VTTKeep the subtitles you generated
- YouTube dual subtitlesEnglish and the original together
- Google Translate and YouTube videos
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