How to Stop Auto Dubbing on YouTube? [Easy Guide]
YouTube has a feature called auto dubbing, which automatically translates and plays audio in a different language based on your preferences or location. While this feature is helpful for many users, it can sometimes become frustrating when you want to hear the original audio of a video, but it keeps switching to a dubbed version.
In this guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about how to stop auto dubbing on YouTube.
Let’s do it!
How to Stop Auto Dubbing on YouTube?
To stop auto dubbing in YouTube, open a video, click on the Settings (gear icon), go to Audio Track, and select the original language instead of the dubbed version. You can also adjust your language and location settings in your YouTube or Google account to prevent automatic dubbing in future videos.
Let’s explore the steps in detail!
Step 1: Open the Video Settings
First, we will access the video settings while watching a YouTube video.
Start by playing the video where you notice auto dubbing. Look for the gear icon, which represents the settings menu. On the desktop, it is located at the bottom right corner of the video player. On mobile devices, you can tap the screen and then tap the settings icon in the top right corner.
Once you click on the settings icon, a menu will appear with several options such as playback speed, quality, and audio settings.
Step 2: Select the Audio Track Option
After opening the settings menu, look for the option labeled Audio Track or Audio.
If the video supports multiple languages, you will see different audio options listed here. These may include the original language and one or more dubbed versions.
Click or tap on the audio track option to view all available languages. You will likely notice that the currently selected track is the dubbed version, which YouTube has chosen automatically.
This is where you can manually override YouTube’s selection and choose the audio you prefer.
Step 3: Choose the Original Language
In the list of audio tracks, select the original language of the video.
For example, if the video was created in English, choose the English track instead of the Hindi or any other dubbed version. Once selected, the video will immediately switch back to its original audio.
This change ensures that you hear the authentic voice of the creator rather than an AI-generated translation.
In most cases, YouTube will remember your preference for that specific video, but it may not apply globally to all videos.
Step 4: Adjust YouTube Language Settings
To reduce the chances of auto dubbing in future videos, you should update your YouTube language settings.
On the desktop, scroll down to the bottom of the YouTube homepage and click on the Language option. Choose a language that matches the original content you prefer, such as English.
On mobile, go to your profile icon, open Settings, then tap on General, and select App Language.
By aligning your YouTube language with your preferred content language, you can minimize automatic switching to dubbed audio.
Step 5: Update Google Account Language Preferences
YouTube uses your Google account settings to determine your preferences, so updating these settings can help stop auto dubbing.
Open your Google Account settings and navigate to the Language and Region section. Here, you can set your preferred language and remove languages that you do not want YouTube to prioritize.
For example, if Hindi is set as your primary language, YouTube may continue selecting Hindi-dubbed audio. Changing your primary language to English can reduce this behavior.
This step ensures that your preferences are consistent across all Google services.
Step 6: Check Device or Browser Language
Another factor that influences auto dubbing is your device or browser language.
On Windows, you can check this by going to Settings, then Time and Language, and reviewing your preferred languages. Make sure the language aligns with your desired YouTube experience.
In browsers like Chrome, you can go to settings and adjust the language preferences to prioritize your preferred language.
This step is often overlooked, but it plays a major role in how YouTube selects audio tracks automatically.
Step 7: Disable Experiments and Clear Cache
Sometimes, YouTube enables experimental features like auto dubbing for testing purposes.
To minimize this, you can try clearing your browser cache or using YouTube in incognito mode. This helps reset temporary preferences and may stop auto dubbing from triggering automatically.
If you are part of any YouTube experiments, switching accounts or logging out may also help.
FAQs
Why does YouTube automatically change audio language?
YouTube uses AI and user preference data such as location, device language, and account settings to automatically select an audio track. This often results in auto dubbing.
Can I permanently disable auto dubbing on YouTube?
Currently, there is no universal toggle to completely disable auto dubbing. However, you can reduce it significantly by adjusting your audio selection, language settings, and Google preferences.
Does auto-dubbing affect all videos?
No, only videos that have multiple audio tracks or dubbed versions will trigger this feature.
Is auto dubbing the same as subtitles?
No, auto dubbing replaces the audio with a translated voice, while subtitles display translated text without changing the original audio.
Why does YouTube keep switching back to dubbed audio?
This usually happens because your default language settings or region preferences are influencing YouTube’s automatic selection.