How to Disable Auto Dubbing on YouTube As a Viewer

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Last Updated: December 4, 2025 References

YouTube’s auto-dubbing feature uses AI to automatically create dubbed versions of videos in other languages. When a creator uploads a video, YouTube detects the original language and generates audio tracks in supported languages.^{[1]
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This feature is enabled by default for eligible creators, though YouTube lets them turn it off. It was introduced to make videos more accessible to viewers around the world. Since the rollout, many users have raised concerns because it was also enabled by default for viewers. Some users complain that YouTube is auto-dubbing videos from their own language into English or other languages, even when they don’t want it.

The system is still not perfect. YouTube says the tone and emotion of the original audio are not yet carried over. Dubs can also contain errors caused by mispronunciations, accents, dialects, or background noise in the original video. The feature also struggles with proper nouns, idioms, and technical terms. ^{[2]
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YouTube used to chose the default dubbed track based on your app language, past choices, and watch history, but after feedback they added an option to choose the languages you know, and anything that matches one of your preferred languages will play in the original audio instead of being translated, including dubs, titles, and descriptions.^{[3]
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Unfortunately, YouTube doesn't offer a single option to permanently disable automatic dubbing, but there are a few workarounds. In this article, we explain how to turn off auto dubbing for good and how you can disable it for individual videos as well.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Permanently disable auto dubbing using the YouTube app

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1
Launch the YouTube app on your Android or iOS device. The YouTube icon looks like a white play button on a red rectangle, and you can find it in your app drawer. Log in to your YouTube account if you haven't already.
- Make sure you have the latest version of the YouTube app. If not, update it from the Google Play Store or App Store.
2
Tap your profile icon. You can see it at the bottom right corner of your screen with a “You” label.

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3
Tap the settings icon. The gear icon
is at the top right corner of the app.
4
Tap Languages. It's next to the “Family” Centre option on the settings page under the “Account” section.
5
Tap Preferred Languages. It's the second option. A pop-up with different languages will appear.
- If you can't find the option, the update may not have rolled out to you yet. Try updating your app if you haven't already. If it still doesn't show up, wait a few days for the update to arrive.
6
Choose the languages you want. Pick the languages you know. Videos in those languages will not be translated and will play in the original audio.^{[4]
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Research source} If you don't want auto dub on videos in any language, select every language on the list. Still, it's better to select only the languages you actually know.
- This setting applies to both dubbed audio and translated titles and descriptions.
- Your preferred language setting is separate from app language and location settings. It won't affect search results or recommendations.
7
Tap Confirm. After choosing your preferred languages, hit the Confirm button at the bottom.
8
That's it. Once you've followed all the steps, YouTube won't automatically suggest dubbed audio for videos in the languages you marked as preferred. Enjoy YouTube without the hassle!

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Permanently disable auto dubbing using the YouTube website

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1
Open the YouTube website. Go to www.youtube.com on your browser and sign in if you haven't already.
2
Click the profile icon at the top right. A menu will appear.
3
Click the Settings option. It will be above the help option.
4
Go to Playback and performance. Select Playback and performance from the left menu. You can also open the page directly by using the youtube.com/account_playback link.
5
Click Add or edit languages next to the “Preferred languages” option. A window will open.
6
Choose the languages you know. Tick the boxes for the languages you understand. Videos in those languages will not be translated and will play in the original audio. If you never want auto dubbing on any video, select all the languages, but it's better to select only the ones you actually know.
- This setting applies to both dubbed audio and translated titles and descriptions.
- Your preferred language setting is separate from app language and location settings. It won't affect search results or recommendations.
7
Click Confirm. Once you're done, YouTube will stop automatically playing dubbed audio for videos in the languages you marked as preferred. That's it!

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Turn off auto dubbing for a specific video on the YouTube app

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1
Open a video that has the auto dubbed option enabled. Videos with auto dubbed audio tracks are marked as “Auto-dubbed” in the description.
2
Tap the gear icon
in the top right corner. A menu panel will slide up from the bottom.
3
Tap the Audio track option. You can find it under the “Captions” option.
4
Tap the audio language marked “original.” It will be listed above the “Auto-dubbed” section.
5
Once you choose the original audio, the video will reload with it. This applies only to the video you are currently watching. New videos won’t play with the original audio unless you have selected your preferred language settings. You are done!

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Turn off auto dubbing for a specific video on the YouTube website

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1
Open www.youtube.com on your browser and play a video with the auto dub option. Videos with auto-dubbed audio tracks are marked as “Auto-dubbed” in the description.
2
Tap the gear icon at the bottom of the video player. It will be located next to the subtitles icon.
3
Tap Audio track. It will be the third option in the menu.
4
Click the audio labelled “original.” YouTube adds an “original” tag next to the language the creator used. For example, if the video’s original language is English, it will appear as “English original.”
5
You are done. After you select the original audio, the video will reload with it. Remember that this applies only to the video you are currently watching.

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Tips

If you are a YouTube creator, you can disable auto dubbing for videos you upload. It is turned on by default. Sign in to YouTube Studio on your computer, go to Settings > Upload defaults > Advanced settings, uncheck the “Allow automatic dubbing” box, and click “Save”.

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Warnings

Apps like WhatsApp let you watch YouTube videos without leaving the app. Unfortunately, you can’t disable auto dubbing in this view. On WhatsApp, you need to click the YouTube video link instead of the thumbnail so the video opens in the YouTube app.

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The preferred language setting also applies to titles and descriptions, not just audio languages. If you understand a language when listening but can't read it, this can affect you.

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