Live captions for meetings on a Mac: the options compared

A Mac gives you four ways to get live captions for a meeting: macOS Live Captions, which captions any audio on the Mac; the call app's own captions in Zoom, Teams or Meet; a notetaker's live transcript, which also keeps the text afterwards; and a human captioner (often called CART), who types what is said in real time. The first three are automatic and make mistakes. Where accuracy is critical, such as a hearing, an exam or a medical appointment, a human captioner is the right answer.

This guide compares the options and shows how to turn on the one built into macOS. The macOS steps and availability were checked against Apple's Mac User Guide, Apple's feature availability page and System Settings on macOS 26.6 on 25 September 2026.

Turn on Live Captions on a Mac

1. Open System Settings. Choose Apple menu › System Settings.
2. Click Accessibility in the sidebar.
3. Click Live Captions. You may need to scroll down to see it.
4. Turn on Live Captions. The first time, macOS may need a connection to download the language data.
5. Choose the source. In the Live Captions window, click the microphone icon to switch between captioning the Mac's audio (the call) and your microphone (people in the room).
6. Adjust the appearance. Under Caption Appearance, set Font family, Font size, Font color and Background color.

Live Captions in FaceTime, in the same settings, adds captions inside FaceTime calls.

The options compared

macOS Live Captions

Apple describes Live Captions as real-time captioning of audio from a video call, audio or video media, or an in-person conversation. The settings say it uses on-device intelligence: "Your Mac will use on-device intelligence to automatically display captions across all apps. Accuracy of Live Captions may vary and should not be relied upon in high-risk or emergency situations."

What to know before relying on it:

• Apple silicon only. Apple says Live Captions is available only on Macs with Apple silicon.
• Not in every language or region. Apple's macOS feature availability page listed, when we checked on 25 September 2026: Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States), French (Canada, France), German (Germany), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan) and Spanish (Mexico, Spain, United States). Check Apple's page for your version of macOS.
• It works with any app. Because it captions the Mac's audio, it works with calls in apps that have no captions of their own.
• One source at a time. It captions the Mac's audio or the microphone; switch with the microphone icon.
• The window hides when there is no audio, unless you choose to keep it visible.

Captions in the call app

Most call apps have captions of their own. They appear inside the meeting window and, in some apps, everyone can turn them on.

• Microsoft Teams: during a meeting, More actions › Language and speech › Show live captions. Microsoft says Teams does not save captions; for a record, turn on transcription. See Microsoft's guide (checked September 2026).
• Google Meet: More options › Settings › Captions. Translated captions need certain Google Workspace editions, per Google's help (checked September 2026).
• Zoom: has captions too. Zoom's own support centre explains how to turn them on for your account.

Call-app captions have one advantage: everyone in the meeting can use them, not only you. Their disadvantage is that they depend on the host, the plan and the app.

A notetaker's live transcript

A notetaker that transcribes as the meeting happens shows the words on your screen while people speak, and keeps them afterwards. That second part matters for anyone who misses things: you can scroll back during the meeting, read the whole thing at your own pace afterwards, and search it later.

It is still automatic speech recognition, with the same kinds of mistakes as captions. And it is on your screen only; nobody else in the meeting sees it. Meeting notes for people who are hard of hearing covers how to combine it with other support before, during and after a meeting.

Human captioners (CART)

CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation. A trained captioner, in the room or remote, writes what is said in real time, including who is speaking and sounds that matter. It costs money and needs booking. It is the right choice when:

• every word matters (legal, medical, exams, disciplinary meetings);
• speakers have strong accents, talk over each other, or use specialist terms;
• the meeting is long and fatigue from checking automatic captions would be a problem.

At work, captioning or transcripts can be part of a reasonable accommodation or adjustment. Meeting transcripts as a workplace accommodation explains how those requests generally work.

Languages

Every automatic option works in a limited set of languages, and each list is different. macOS Live Captions has its list above; the Mac's on-device transcriber, which notetakers use, has another; call apps have their own. Which languages a Mac can transcribe lists the transcriber's.

For meetings in a language other than English, these guides show the steps: French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Mandarin or Cantonese. A meeting in two languages is its own problem: transcribing a meeting held in two languages.

Reading, not only hearing

Captions help people who find reading easier than listening, not only people with hearing loss. People with dyslexia often find the opposite, and macOS can read text aloud. Taking meeting notes with dyslexia covers that.

Where Notey fits

Notey is a meeting notetaker for Macs with Apple silicon running macOS 26 or later. It is not a captioning service, and it is not certified as assistive technology for anyone's needs. What it does:

• Shows a live transcript on your screen of both sides of a call, your microphone as You and what the Mac plays as Them. Words appear as they are spoken; a phrase still being revised is shown lighter until it settles.
• Keeps the transcript afterwards, on your Mac, with every line playable from its timestamp and every meeting searchable with ⌘K.
• Transcribes in the Mac's language, one language per meeting, in the languages Apple's on-device recogniser supports.
• Works with no account and no network. Audio never leaves your Mac.

Recording a meeting to get a transcript still means the other people need to know. Tell them, and say why.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn on Live Captions on a Mac?

Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, click Live Captions, and turn Live Captions on. It needs a Mac with Apple silicon, and a connection the first time to download language data.

Which languages does macOS Live Captions support?

Apple's macOS feature availability page listed English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese variants when we checked on 25 September 2026. It is not available in every country or region. Check Apple's page for your version.

Are automatic captions good enough for someone who is deaf?

They help, and they make mistakes, especially with names, numbers, accents and crosstalk. Apple says Live Captions should not be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations. Where every word matters, a human captioner (CART) is the right choice.

Does Live Captions save a transcript of the meeting?

Apple's guide describes captions on screen and does not describe saving them. If you need to read the meeting afterwards, use the call app's transcript feature or a notetaker that keeps one.

Can Notey show live captions?

Notey shows a live transcript of both sides of a call on your own screen, as words are spoken, and keeps it afterwards. It is not a captioning service and is not certified for anyone's access needs.