How do I request to add captions to a file in My Media?
When video or audio is included in your course content, UVA policies (opens new window) require that you provide an alternative method for your audience to understand the content.
Starting on January 6, 2026, media files added to My Media or to the Media Gallery in a Canvas course (Kaltura) will be automatically (Machine) captioned.
Beginning on February 6, 2026, automatic language detection will also be enabled for a pilot period of one year. This means that each media file uploaded or recorded with speech in a language supported by Kaltura ASR (opens new window) should have machine captions automatically generated using the first language spoken within the file. For additional details, see the announcement about captioning changes (opens new window).
YouTube videos added to Kaltura will be automatically captioned in English.
For any media file that was added to Kaltura prior to January 6, 2026, any file uploaded or recorded with speech in a language not supported by Kaltura ASR, and any YouTube video in a language other than English, captions must be requested by the owner of the file or someone with permission to edit it (co-editor).
A media file's owner or co-editor may request to have Machine captions added to the file. The owner or co-editor will then be able to review and edit the text in the captions to correct any errors.
For course content, instructors may also request Professional captions, which have a much higher level of accuracy and should not require as much editing after they have been added.
Note: For additional assistance with captioning, please reach out to the Captioning Team at [email protected]
Tips:
- An instructor can enable a global setting in their Canvas course's Media Gallery to automatically request captions for media in a specified language as soon as it is published there. With this setting enabled, they would not need to request captions for each video or audio file individually. For steps, see How do I enable captions requests for all files in Media Gallery? (opens new window).
- If you prepared a transcript to read while recording a video or audio file in English, you can upload the transcript to create captions instead: How do I upload a transcript to create captions for a file in My Media? (opens new window).
- You may give someone permission to request captions for a file you own by following the steps to add them as a Co-Editor (opens new window).
Go to My Media.
Select My Media from your Global Navigation Menu.
Note: Steps for McIntire School of Commerce instructors to access McIntire My Media can be found in How can I access McIntire My Media? (opens new window).
Select the file to caption.
Choose a video or audio file to caption by selecting its thumbnail or name.
Select Actions, then Caption & Enrich.
- Scroll down on the page under the media player.
- Select the Actions menu.
- Select Caption & Enrich.
Submit the captions request.
A page will display where you can check the status of existing captioning requests and submit new requests. By default, Machine captions are selected. If you are submitting a request for Professional captions, you will also have an option to enter Instructions & Notes for the captioning provider. Skip to the step for requesting professional captions.
Tip: A media file can have multiple captions files attached to it. Machine captions will be identified with [auto] on their label, for example, English [auto]. You can request both Machine and Professional captions to have some captions available while the captioning vendor works on your request.
Request machine captions.
Under the heading Order Captions & Enrichment Services:
- Leave the default Service option, Machine, selected.
- Select the Source Media Language to indicate the language of the file to caption. By default, the language is English. 35 other languages are available to select.
- Select Submit.
Note: Media files added to Kaltura beginning on January 6, 2026 will have machine captions added automatically.
Beginning on February 6, 2026, automatic language detection will also be enabled for a pilot period of one year. This means that each media file uploaded or recorded with speech in a language supported by Kaltura ASR (opens new window) should have machine captions automatically generated using the first language spoken within the file. For additional details, see the announcement about captioning changes (opens new window).
YouTube videos added to Kaltura will be automatically captioned in English.
Request professional captions.
Under the heading Order Captions & Enrichment Services:
- From the Service drop-down menu, select Professional.
- Select the Source Media Language to indicate the language of the file to caption. By default, the language is English. 35 other languages are available to select.
- In the Instructions & Notes field, enter any notes for the captioning provider. For example, if your video includes speakers who pronounce certain words differently from how others might, or difficult scientific terms, you might include notes on correct spelling.
- Select Submit.
Check the progress of your request.
- The request for captioning will display under the Existing Requests section of the page, along with its status.
- For Machine captions, the initial Status will be Pending. The Status will change to Processing while the captions are being generated for your file, then Completed when the captions are available.
- For Professional captions, the initial Status will be Pending Approval. The Captioning Team will need to review the captions request and approve or reject it. The approval process occurs daily Monday-Friday. If your request has not been approved or it is time sensitive, please email the Captioning Team ([email protected]) to ask for help. If approved, the Status for the request will change to Processing while the captioning vendor works on it, then Completed when the captions are available.
- A message will display under Order Captions & Enrichment Services to indicate that your request has been received.
Note: Once a Professional captioning request has been approved, it may take 3-5 business days for the vendor to create the captions and make them available.
View captions.
Select the captioned file.
After waiting for the captions to be generated, return to My Media and access the video or audio file by selecting its thumbnail or name.
Display captions.
A CC (Closed Captions) button will be available in the player. To show the captions:
- Select the CC button.
- The captions will display centered near the bottom of the video.
- Select Settings (cog) button to customize captions.
Tip: For more information on customizing captions, see How do I customize captions in My Media or Media Gallery? (opens new window).
Review and edit captions.
Whether you have requested Machine or Professional captions, they should be reviewed for accuracy. Machine captions require editing, if the video or audio file will not have any Professional captions available.
You might also need to set the Default captions file to display the correct captions and hide the auto-captions file that was automatically created when your media file was added to My Media or Media Gallery.
Follow the steps in How do I edit captions in My Media? (opens new window) to review and correct any errors in the captions, and ensure that the correct captions file is displayed to viewers.