Adding a Captionist (Host)
- The meeting host starts the captioning process by clicking on the Live Transcript (CC) button in the bottom control panel, and then selecting Assign a participant to type.
- The host can then go into the participant’s list, find the captionist, and click the More > button next to their name.
- In the menu, select Assign to type closed captions to designate the person as a captionist.
Start Closed Caption or Live Transcript in a Zoom Meeting
- In a Zoom meeting that you are hosting, click Closed Caption or Live Transcript , if that feature is enabled.
- Select one of the following options:
- Assign a participant to type: Assigns a participant to type closed captions during the meeting.
- 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.
- Enable Auto-Transcription: Allows the system to start providing live transcription. Participants will be notified that this service is available. This option is only available if enabled in web settings.
Adjust Caption Size
- Next to Start Video / Stop Video, click the up arrow .
- Select Video Settings, then click Accessibility.
- Under Closed Captions, move the slider to adjust the caption size
Switching Captionists (Host)
Many classes have multiple captionists assigned to them to share the workload of typing. Captionists will communicate with you ahead of time about when and how often this switching will need to occur. To switch the assigned typing role in Zoom, follow the same steps as you would for adding a captionist as indicated above.
Important Notes:
- If necessary, captionists will remind you -- usually via the chat function in Zoom -- that it’s time to switch captionists. If you do not see the chat, they may have to verbally interrupt the class to ask you to make the switch.
- Some multi-hour classes are divided into hour-long blocks for captioning purposes. If you have the Waiting Room feature enabled on Zoom and elect to admit participants individually, you will need to admit the second-hour captionist midway through class.
Ending Meeting and Saving Closed Captions and Transcription
When the meeting is ready to end, alert all participants. The participants can click Save closed caption history to save a copy of the typed captions before they leave the meeting.
Live typed captions during meeting: Captions typed by a captionist during a meeting can only be downloaded while the meeting is active.
Saving Auto-generated transcript on recording: While viewing the recording, the participants select the text of the transcript on the right-side panel, copy it, and paste it into a document to save the text. Timestamps and speaker tags will be included.
Participant Requests to Enable Live Transcription
Participants of your meetings and webinars can also request to have live transcription enabled during the session. This option is available in the meeting controls, and avoids the need to request this verbally or through chat to avoid interruptions.
- Start a meeting or webinar as the host.
- When a participant or attendee requests live transcription be enabled, you will be prompted with the request. This request can be made anonymously, so you may not see the name of the participant requesting this feature.
- Choose one of the following options:
- Enable: Enables live transcription for use of anyone in the meeting or webinar.
- Decline: Decline this request to have live transcription enabled. Other participants will be able to make their own requests.
- Decline and don't ask again: Decline this and all future requests to have live transcription enabled.
The host can also disable the ability to make requests before any request is made when using the Windows or macOS desktop clients.
- Click Closed Caption or Live Transcript as the host in the meeting or webinar.
- Disable Allow participants to request Live Transcription. This disabled the ability for participants and attendees to make these requests.