How to Enable Free Zoom Captions with Any Zoom Account

Enabling closed captions on Zoom:

If you are enabling captions for your own account, this first paragraph is all you need.

Enabling Captions On Your Own Personal Zoom Account:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal
2. In the navigation panel, click Profile
3. Click the Settings tab.
4. Scroll all the way down to  Closed Captioning (under Remote Support and before Save Captions)
5. Toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, click Turn On to verify the change.
6. (Optional) If you want to make this setting mandatory for all users in your account, click the lock icon, and then click Lock to confirm the setting.
7. Immediately below the Closed Captioning option, there is a check box for “Enable live transcription service to show transcript on the side panel in-meeting”. Click it on.
8. Toggle the Save Captions option.

Note: Make sure your version fo Zoom is the most up to date!

Updated note: I’m not sure this works on phones, tablets, or older computer systems.

Enabling the Their-Party Captioning Within Zoom:

To enable the third-party closed captioning (- when a third party types the captions in)

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation panel, click Settings.
3. Click the Meeting tab.
4. Verify that Closed Caption is enabled.
5. If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, click Turn On to verify the change.
   Note: If the option is grayed out, it has been locked at either the group or account level. You need to contact your Zoom admin.

Starting closed captioning in a meeting

1. In a Zoom meeting or webinar that you are hosting, click Closed Caption.
   
2. Click one of these options:
   
   • Assign a participant to type: Opens the participants window. Hover over the participant’s name and click More then Assign to Type Closed Caption.
   • THIS IS WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU HAVE A CART CAPTIONIST
     
   • I will type: Opens the closed captioning window for you to manually type closed captions.

• • Copy the API token: Copy the URL that you can provide to a third-party closed captioning service to integrate the service with your meeting.

Entering closed captions as a participant

1. Once the host assigns you the ability to type closed captions, a notification will appear in your meeting controls.

1. Click Closed Caption.
   This will open up the closed caption box.
2. Type the caption in the box and press Enter to submit it.

Using closed captioning in Zoom breakout rooms

Breakout rooms are where Zoom is still flopping. The breakout rooms do not have automatic captioning, and Zoom recommends that we subscribe to a third-party closed captioning service if we want closed captions in breakout rooms.

Even with a third-party, only one breakout room can actually utilize the captions. Also, the captionist needs to be assigned before starting the breakout room session:

After you start breakout room sessions, participants can click Closed Caption in the meeting controls to view closed captions.

Viewing closed captioning on Zoom

Desktop client

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
2. Join a meeting or webinar.
3. When closed captioning begins, you will see a notification above Closed Caption in the meeting controls.

1. Click Closed Caption to start viewing closed captioning.
   Tip: Click and drag the closed captioning to move its position in the meeting window.

(Optional) To adjust the caption size:

1. Click the upward arrow next to Start Video / Stop Video.
2. Click Video Settings then Accessibility.
3. Move the slider to adjust the caption size.
   

Mobile app

1. Sign in to the Zoom mobile app.
2. Tap the Settings icon.
   
3. Tap Meeting.
4. Toggle Closed Captioning to on.
   When you are in a meeting where closed captioning is available, they will automatically appear on the bottom of the screen.