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Zoom: CC & Live Transcription

Zoom web conferencing, 2021. Be aware that different versions of Zoom will vary in appearance and functionality.

Zoom has a built-in closed captioning (CC) and live transcription feature, which provides on-screen text of attendees spoken dialog. This feature must be enabled in the host’s account and activated during the meeting in order for participants to view the CC/transcription. Participants will not be able to see CC/transcription unless the host has enabled it in their account and within the meeting itself.

Be aware that the accuracy of CC/transcription depends on: 
  • Background noise
  • Volume and clarity of the speaker’s voice
  • Speaker's proficiency with the English language
  • Lexicons and dialects specific to a geography or community
Expand each section below to see its content.


To enable CC/transcription in user settings:
  1. Login to the Zoom web portal (plu.edu/zoom). 
  2. Click “Settings” from the column to the left. All user settings will display in three tabs: Meeting, Recording, and Telephone.
  3. Enable the “Closed Captioning” setting, which is under the Meeting tab in the “In Meeting (Advanced)” section.
  4. Check the box that appears, “Enable live transcription service…”. 
  5. (Optional) To allow participants to save the transcription as a text file, enable the “Save Captions” setting.
All settings are saved automatically. The CC/transcription feature will be available to turn on during the next meeting that you host.


 To turn on CC/transcription during a meeting:
  1. Click the “CC/Live Transcript” button from the Zoom toolbar. A pop-up will appear. 
  • If it isn’t an option, ensure this feature is enabled in your user account (see above). 

  • Only hosts can initiate this feature. Participants can’t see CC/transcription unless it has been turned on by the host.
  • Select “Enable Auto-Transcription.” A pop-up will display to participants indicating that CC/transcription is now available.

    • Once enabled, the host and all participants can access CC/transcription.

    To turn off CC/transcription at any time, click the “CC/Live Transcript” tool again and select “Disable Auto-Transcription.”


    To view CC/transcription:
    1. Click the up-arrow next to the “CC/Live Transcript” tool. A pop-up will appear.

    2. Select an option:
    • Show/Hide Subtitle: show/hide subtitle text, which appears as white-on-black text at the bottom-center of the main Zoom window.
    • View/Close Full Transcript: view/close the Transcript window. Transcription shows the name, timestamp, and all dialogue spoken during the meeting.
    • Subtitle Settings: configure options such as subtitle text size.


    Transcriptions are only available from the point the participant joined the meeting. If a participant is late to a meeting, or gets disconnected, they won’t be able to see any previous transcription that occurred before they joined.


    Transcription files, which are viewable after/outside the meeting, are available in two ways: in the cloud recording, or as a text file.

    Cloud Recordings

    All meetings recorded to the Cloud will automatically save transcription files. Be aware that transcriptions will not be immediately accessible after the meeting has concluded as they need time to process. Transcriptions aren’t automatically saved for local recordings, but can be saved manually at any time during the meeting (see below).

    To access cloud recording transcripts:
    1. Login to the Zoom web portal (plu.edu/zoom).
    2. Click “Recordings” from the column to the left.
    3. Locate the meeting in the “Cloud Recordings” tab, and click its name. The recording files will open.
    • If it isn’t listed, the meeting either wasn’t recorded to the cloud, or it has been automatically deleted. See __ for more details about cloud recordings.
  • Access the transcript: 
    • View alongside the video: click the video icon and it will open in a new tab. The transcript will appear to the right of the video when played.
    • Download as a text file: hover over “Audio Transcript,” and click the Download button, which looks like a down-arrow.

    Saved transcripts

    If the “Save Captions” setting is enabled in the host’s user settings, participants will be able to download the transcription as a readable text file at any time during the meeting. 

    To save a transcript during a meeting:
    1. Open the Transcript Window (see above).
    2. Click the “Save Transcript” button at the bottom of the window.
    • If it isn’t an option, the host doesn’t have this setting enabled.
  • Click the “Show in Finder/Folder” link that appears. A new window will open.
  • Open the transcription text file.


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    Need support? Contact itech@plu.edu or visit www.plu.edu/itech.



    Keywords:closed captions, subtitles, transcription, transcribe   Doc ID:108878
    Owner:Janelle B.Group:Pacific Lutheran University
    Created:2021-02-05 11:10 PDTUpdated:2023-08-04 16:29 PDT
    Sites:Pacific Lutheran University
    CleanURL:https://kb.plu.edu/zoom-cc
    Feedback:  0   0    
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