How to Turn on QuickTime Subtitles & Captions [2024]
Captions are a simple way to make video content more accessible to people by allowing viewing without sound. A change that can be especially beneficial to people with hearing loss or who prefer not to listen to the audio. Keep reading to learn how to manage QuickTime captions and subtitles.
Get a Captioned Video for QuickTime
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There are three ways to turn on subtitles while watching a video in QuickTime, assuming the video already has a subtitle track added.
- Select “View > Subtitles,” and then select your language of choice.
- In Playback control, click the Subtitles button.
- If you have a newer Mac with a touch bar, simply press and hold the Subtitles button.
QuickTime Captions: How to Open a Sidecar Caption File
There’s another neat feature of Mac computers that film viewers enjoy. It’s called Sidecar caption files, and they allow you to use an iPad as an extension of your desktop to display captions on a separate screen.
To use this option, the following requirements must be met:
- Both devices must be signed into the same iCloud account
- Both devices must be located within 10 meters of each other. (Too far away, and they won’t connect or be able to communicate with one another.)
- Your MacBook must use macOS Catalina, and your iPad must use iPadOS 13 or later. Models using an earlier OS will not have the required capabilities.
If you have everything ready to go and compatible, you can open Sidecar captions by following these steps:
- On your Mac, select Apple Menu, then “System Preferences.”
- Click “Sidecar” (Note that not all Apple products support this option)
- Select whether you want the captions to display on the right or left side of the screen
- Click the Airplay icon located on the menu bar of your Mac computer
- Follow the prompts to connect your iPad and Mac
Your iPad should now work as an extension of your Mac, allowing you to move windows between the two screens.