Floating captions
How to set up floating bilingual captions
Find the floating captions control and adjust display, text size, and background on desktop, supported browsers, and Android.
Applies toWindows / macOS · Supported browsers · Android
Environment and verification scope
This guide follows the current feature implementation and existing setup guidance. Images identify screenshots or illustrations. Complete recording workflows have not been revalidated across Windows, macOS, and Android for this guide. Sharing options, permissions, and playback restrictions depend on your actual environment.
Enable Floating captions from preparation or the active translation toolbar to read original and translated text in a separate window. Desktop, supported browsers, and Android have different availability and permissions. Audio capture is configured separately.
Choose the entry for your device
- Windows and macOS desktop: use the app's independent caption window.
- Desktop web: the floating control appears only when the browser provides Document Picture-in-Picture.
- Android app: allow CaptionWise to display over other apps. The first attempt may open system settings.
- Mobile browser: even when a floating window is supported, live web recording should remain in the foreground. Switching apps or locking the screen can pause it.
Open the window and prepare audio
- Open live translation and choose audio source, languages, and a project.
- Enable Floating captions. Expected result: a separate caption window appears on supported platforms. Before speech starts, it can show a waiting state.
- On Android, complete overlay authorization and return to CaptionWise. Overlay permission and system audio capture permission are separate.
- Start translation, authorize audio, and check that the main page and floating window show the current captions.
Browsers manage their picture-in-picture windows; the desktop client manages its own overlay. Closing, sizing, and positioning behavior may differ by platform.
Adjust display, text size, and background
In the floating caption section of account settings, choose bilingual, original-only, or translation-only text, and adjust size and background opacity. Check readability with a small amount of text before a long session.
Move and resize the desktop window near your slides or meeting. Bilingual mode helps with technical terms, while translation-only mode uses less space. Keep assignment instructions and important demonstrations visible.
Pause, finish, and lock on desktop
The desktop window offers pause, resume, and end-and-save controls as allowed by the recording state. Check the paused state before resuming, and wait for saving after ending.
Lock the overlay to pass mouse clicks through to the app underneath. Return to the main window to unlock it. An intentionally locked caption window is not a reason to start another recording.
If the window appears without text
- No captions on the main page either: diagnose audio and recognition first with the no captions checklist.
- Main page has text but the overlay does not: check that the window is open and that the selected display mode has content. Translation-only mode may wait for a translation.
- No web floating control: check browser support or choose an applicable client.
- Android cannot display over another app: check overlay permission. System audio also needs separate screen-capture authorization.
Review after the session
Closing the floating window and ending a recording are separate actions. Use the explicit end control and confirm the recording and captions in the project. You do not need to keep the overlay open for later review.
Continue with computer audio translation or Zoom and Teams bilingual captions for audio setup.