Live Captions on a Mac: real-time captions for calls, videos and the room around you
By Ryleigh Newman · Published
Live Captions shows a real-time transcription of spoken audio on a Mac: audio from any app, such as FaceTime or Podcasts, or a live conversation picked up by the microphone. Turn it on in System Settings, Accessibility, Live Captions. Apple says the audio is processed on the device. It needs a Mac with Apple silicon, and it is not available in every language or region.
I make YapToText, a free dictation app for the Mac, and InputConfig, a free app that turns any button, switch or controller into keys and clicks. I built both because my own hands do not work well. Apple's steps are from its Mac User Guide for macOS 27, read October 10, 2026. Apple also says the accuracy of Live Captions may vary and that it should not be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
This guide in other languages: العربية, Čeština, Dansk, Deutsch, Ελληνικά, Español, Suomi, Français, עברית, हिन्दी, Magyar, Bahasa Indonesia, Italiano, 日本語, 한국어, Norsk, Nederlands, Polski, Português, Română, Русский, Slovenčina, Svenska, ไทย, Türkçe, Українська, Tiếng Việt, 简体中文, 繁體中文
On this page: 8 sections
Turn on Live Captions
- Choose Apple menu, System Settings, then click Accessibility in the sidebar.
- Click Live Captions. You may need to scroll down.
- Turn Live Captions on.
The first time, the Mac downloads language data, so you need an internet connection for that step. The Live Captions window then appears, and hides by itself when there is no audio. Choose Keep Onscreen from its menu bar icon to keep it visible.
Caption the Mac's audio, or the room
- Computer Audio. Captions whatever the Mac is playing: a call, a video, a podcast.
- Microphone. Captions what the microphone hears, for a conversation in person.
- Switch. Use the button in the top-right corner of the Live Captions window, or its menu bar icon.
- Pause. Pause and restart captioning in the window without turning the feature off.
By default it captions audio from all apps. Apple's guide has a separate setting to use it only in FaceTime.
Type to Speak
In the Live Captions window, click the Type to Speak field, type what you want to say, and press Return. The Mac speaks it aloud, in person or on a call. If the field is not showing, choose Type to Speak from the menu bar icon. Apple points people who cannot speak, or who have lost speech over time, to Live Speech, which can use a system voice or a Personal Voice you create.
Make the captions easier to read
In System Settings, Accessibility, Live Captions, change the font family, font size, font color and background color. Drag any edge of the window to resize it, and move it wherever you like. Restore Default Position in the menu bar icon puts it back.
Live Captions is not dictation
Live Captions from Apple's Mac User Guide, read October 10, 2026.
| Live Captions | Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Reading what other people say | Writing what you say |
| Where the words go | A captions window | The text field your cursor is in |
| Keeps the text | No, it is a live display | Yes, it becomes your document or message |
Captions are for following a conversation, and dictation is for writing your part of it. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and speak, the two fit together: read the other person in Live Captions, and answer in writing by voice. YapToText is my free dictation app for that second half. One key starts it, the speech model runs on the Mac, and there is no account. For a transcript you can keep, of a recording or a saved call, it also transcribes audio and video files. The file transcription guide covers that.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
Hearing aids, headsets and buttons
macOS pairs Made for iPhone hearing aids and sound processors in System Settings, Accessibility, Hearing Devices. The hearing aids and dictation guide covers which microphone the Mac listens to when they are connected.
Live Captions has keyboard shortcuts you can view and set in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Accessibility. Once one is set, InputConfig can put it on a single button, including the buttons on a Bluetooth headset or hearing aid that the Mac sees as media keys, so captions come on from the device you are already wearing. InputConfig's accessibility page lists the inputs it reads.
The short version
- Turn on. System Settings, Accessibility, Live Captions.
- Source. Computer Audio for calls and videos, Microphone for the room.
- Reply by typing. Type to Speak in the captions window.
- Needs. Apple silicon, and a supported language.
- Writing. Dictation is the separate tool for your own words.
If a step here does not match your Mac, open an issue on GitHub. Every one gets read.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
Related
Sources
- https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/get-captions-of-spoken-and-computer-audio-mchldd11f4fd/mac (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/accessibility-features-for-hearing-mchlb4f015b1/mac (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-hearing-devices-with-your-mac-mchle83953a5/mac (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/quickly-turn-accessibility-features-on-or-off-mchlp2975/mac (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://inputconfig.com/help/accessibility-features (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-10)
Questions
How do I turn on Live Captions on a Mac?
Open System Settings, Accessibility, Live Captions, and turn it on. It needs a Mac with Apple silicon.
Is there speech to text for deaf people on a Mac?
Yes. Live Captions transcribes calls, videos and in-person conversation in real time, on the device, in supported languages.
Can Live Captions caption a Zoom or FaceTime call?
It captions audio from any app when the source is Computer Audio. Apple's guide also has a setting to use it only in FaceTime.
Does Live Captions save a transcript?
It is a live display, not a saved document. To keep a transcript, transcribe a recording of the audio.
What is the difference between Live Captions and dictation?
Live Captions shows what others say in a window. Dictation types what you say into the app you are using.