Open Captions

Captions that are permanently embedded into a video and cannot be turned off by the viewer. Unlike closed captions, which can be toggled on or off, open captions are always visible as part of the video image itself. Open captions are sometimes used when a platform does not support closed captioning, in social media videos where auto-play without sound is common, or in public displays where enabling closed captions is not practical. While open captions guarantee that caption content is always available, they reduce viewer control and may obscure video content, leading accessibility advocates to generally recommend closed captions when the platform supports them.