Live captions turn what people say into on-screen text as they say it. Unlike most session-capture features, captions aren't limited to hosts and facilitators — anyone in a Kolab space can turn them on for themselves.
Turning On Captions
Look for the CC button in the bottom video control bar, next to the screen-share button. Click it to turn captions on or off.
Your choice is a personal preference: it's remembered on that browser and device, but it won't carry over if you join from a different one.
How It Works
Once captions are on, up to 3 lines of live captions appear near the bottom of the screen, just above the control bar. Each line shows a small colored initial next to the speaker's name — the same color as that person's avatar or video tile — so you can tell who's talking even with several captions stacked up at once.
What You'll See in Different Audio Modes
Captions work in every audio mode Kolab supports — global, spatial, and zoned. You'll only see captions for people you could actually hear at that moment, following the same logic as the audio itself. That means captions never "leak" a conversation you're not part of.
In breakout rooms, you only see captions from your own room.
Note: Live captions are available on every plan — there's no tier restriction.
Captions vs. Transcription
Live captions and Live Transcription solve different problems:
| Live Captions | Live Transcription | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | Everyone | Hosts and facilitators only |
| Audio modes | Global, spatial, and zoned | Global only |
| Breakout rooms | Works per-room | Pauses automatically |
| What you get | On-screen text in the moment | Downloadable, speaker-attributed .docx after the session |
If you just want to read along in real time, captions are all you need. If you need a document to share afterward, that's transcription.
Related Guides
- Live Transcription - Full session transcripts and downloadable documents
- Communicating - Chat, reactions, and other ways to participate
- Setting Up Audio & Video - Get your audio and video set up right