How to Add Live Captions
in Google Meet

Google Meet includes 2 caption workflows: live captions that all users can turn on for dozens of spoken languages and translated captions for eligible Google Workspace editions. Google lists a broad translated-caption language set, but says the feature is gradually rolling out. For a no-upgrade workflow with 50+ selectable languages, local transcript history, and cross-platform use, a browser-based tool like MirrorCaption works alongside any Google Meet session on any Google account.

Here's what most tutorials miss: Google Meet's CC button and its "Translated Captions" feature are two different things. The CC button is free and instant. Translated captions — where the output appears in a different language than the speaker — require an eligible Workspace edition and may depend on admin settings and rollout. If you've found yourself clicking through settings that don't exist on your plan, this guide explains exactly why, and what to do instead.

Does Google Meet Have Live Captions?

Yes. Google Meet includes automatic captions that appear at the bottom of the meeting window in real time. They're free for all users — free Gmail accounts and every tier of Google Workspace — and they turn on in two clicks. These are the captions you'll see recommended in most tutorials.

What those tutorials often don't explain: automatic captions transcribe the speaker's words into the same language being spoken. They don't translate. If a Spanish speaker is talking and you want captions in English, automatic captions won't help — you need Google Meet's separate "Translated Captions" feature, which requires an eligible Workspace edition and may depend on admin settings and rollout.

There's a third limitation that almost no article covers: Google Meet's live captions are not the same as a saved meeting transcript. You can review recent captions during the meeting, but there is no automatic transcript file saved on the free tier. Users who need a searchable record of what was said need an eligible Workspace transcription feature or a different solution.

How to Turn On Live Captions in Google Meet

On Desktop (Chrome or Edge)

1. 1
   Join or start a Google Meet call Open Google Meet in desktop Chrome or Microsoft Edge and join your meeting as normal.
2. 2
   Click the CC button in the toolbar Look for the captions icon (CC) in the bottom control bar. On some layouts it appears directly; on others it's inside "More options" (the three-dot menu). Click it.
3. 3
   Choose the spoken language A language picker appears. Select the language the speaker will be talking in — this tells Google Meet what to transcribe. It is not the language you want to read captions in.
4. 4
   Read captions as they stream Captions appear at the bottom of the meeting window, updating word-by-word as the speaker talks. Click CC again to turn them off.

On Mobile (Android or iOS)

1. 1
   Join a Google Meet call on your phone Open the Google Meet app and join the meeting.
2. 2
   Tap the three-dot menu Tap "More options" at the bottom of the call screen, then tap "Captions".
3. 3
   Select the spoken language and start Choose the language being spoken. Captions appear at the bottom of the screen for the rest of the call.

How to Change the Caption Language in Google Meet

Use the same steps above to change which language Google Meet transcribes. The language picker shows the spoken input language — what the speaker says — not the language you want to read. Google Meet's automatic captions don't translate. Selecting "Spanish" when the speaker is talking in Spanish means you'll see Spanish captions. You won't see English.

Google's live-caption support page lists dozens of spoken languages and regional variants, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Arabic variants, and many beta languages. If you need to display captions in a different language than the speaker, that requires Translated Captions.

How to Get Translated Captions in Google Meet (Workspace Only)

Translated captions display the speaker's words in a different language — a Spanish speaker, captions in English; a German client, captions in French. This is translation, not just transcription, and it's a separate Google Workspace feature.

What it requires: an eligible Google Workspace edition such as Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, or Google AI Pro for Education. It is not available on free Google accounts or Business Starter. Your organization's admin may also need to enable the feature.

How to enable translated captions:

1. 1
   Join a qualifying Google Meet call You must be on an eligible Workspace edition with translated captions enabled by your admin.
2. 2
   Click More options (three dots) and select Captions Then choose "Turn on translated captions" from the menu.
3. 3
   Set source and target languages Choose what the speaker is saying (source) and what language you want to read (target). Translated captions appear at the bottom of the screen.

Google's translated-caption support page lists a broad set of languages that can be translated to or from, including English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and many more. Google also notes that the feature is gradually rolling out, so verify availability on the exact account and meeting before relying on it.

Google Meet Captions Language and Account Limitations

This is where many users hit a wall. The language list is no longer tiny, but the account and feature boundaries still matter. Google Meet uses different lists and eligibility rules for live captions, translated captions, and saved meeting transcriptions.

• Live captions: available to all users and listed across dozens of spoken languages, but they show the same language being spoken.
• Translated captions: available only on eligible Workspace editions and may be subject to rollout; the source and target language choices appear inside the meeting settings.
• Meeting transcriptions: a separate Workspace feature that saves a transcript to Google Drive and supports a smaller language set than live captions.

How to Get 50+ Language Live Captions for Google Meet

MirrorCaption is a browser-based transcription and translation tool that captures Google Meet audio directly from your browser tab in desktop Chrome or Microsoft Edge. No bot joins the meeting. No extension to install. It works on any Google account — free Gmail or any Workspace tier.

Setup in 3 steps

1. 1
   Open MirrorCaption in a new tab Go to mirrorcaption.com and sign in (or start with the 1 free hour — no credit card required).
2. 2
   Select Meet mode and click Start Listening Choose Meet mode (for browser-based video calls) and click Start. When prompted to share audio, choose "Share a tab" and select your Google Meet browser tab.
3. 3
   Pick your source and target languages Choose the language being spoken and the language you want to read. MirrorCaption streams both the original transcript and the translation side-by-side, word-by-word, under 500ms from speech to caption.

What you get with MirrorCaption:

• Real-time streaming captions in 50+ selectable languages, with no Workspace eligibility or rollout dependency
• Side-by-side view of original transcript and translation, so you can follow both
• Auto speaker detection: labels who is speaking (Speaker 1, Speaker 2), renameable
• AI-generated meeting summary that refreshes as the call progresses — useful if you join late
• Full transcript saved locally in your browser after the meeting ends, searchable by keyword and speaker
• Export as Markdown or plain text

Pricing: 1 free hour to try (one-time, no credit card, no monthly reset). Annual plan: €54.99/year (100 hours of hosted transcription credit included). Premium: €99 one-time (permanent product access, all future updates with priority access, 200 hours of hosted transcription credit included; Voice Packs available separately when included hours run out, with Premium customers getting the lowest per-hour top-up rate).

Google Meet Captions vs. MirrorCaption — Comparison

For more on how MirrorCaption compares to Google Meet's translation feature, see the full Google Meet translation alternative comparison page.

Which Option Should You Use?

Use Google Meet's built-in CC button if you only need captions in the spoken language (no translation), you're already in the meeting, and you don't need a saved transcript. It's the fastest option for English and major European languages.

Use Google Meet Translated Captions if your team is on an eligible Workspace edition, your admin has enabled the feature, your meeting language pair appears in the in-call picker, and your translated captions are for in-call reading only — you don't need a transcript afterward.

Use MirrorCaption if you're on a free Google account, your Workspace admin has not enabled translated captions, you need a saved searchable transcript after the meeting, or you also use Zoom or Teams and want one tool that works across all of them. Multilingual remote teams typically find MirrorCaption covers the cases where native platform settings get in the way.

Frequently Asked Questions