Automatic captions and transcripts

In this article: How Ruzuku Pro generates closed captions and transcripts for your videos, what your students see, and how to manage the feature. Pro

Every video you upload to a Ruzuku Pro site gets automatic closed captions and a searchable transcript. Meeting recordings get them too. There is nothing to configure. Upload a video and captions appear within a few hours.

This makes your courses more accessible to students who are deaf or hard of hearing, easier to follow for students watching without sound, and more useful for anyone who wants to search for a specific topic within a lesson.

How it works

Ruzuku's caption system processes videos in the background after you upload them. Here is the sequence:

You upload a video to a lesson (or record a live meeting).
Ruzuku sends the audio to its transcription service.
The service generates a timestamped transcript and synced captions.
Captions and the transcript appear on the lesson page automatically.

You don't need to press any buttons, toggle any settings, or wait around. The process runs on its own.

Processing time

Captions don't appear immediately after upload. The transcription service needs time to process the audio, especially for longer videos.

Short videos (under 15 minutes): Captions typically appear within 1-2 hours.
Longer videos (30-60+ minutes): May take several hours.
Meeting recordings: Same timeline as uploaded videos.

Tip: Upload your videos at least a day before your course launches. That way captions are ready when your first students arrive.

What your students see

Students get two things on every video lesson:

Closed captions on the video player. Captions appear as text overlaid on the video, synced to the audio. Students can toggle captions on or off using the CC button on the video player.
A full transcript below the video. The transcript shows the complete text of the video with timestamps. Students can scroll through it, read along, or click a timestamp to jump to that point in the video.

The transcript is also searchable. If a student remembers a concept from your video but can't recall which lesson it was in, they can search and find the exact moment.

Captions and transcript displayed on a video lesson

To see this yourself, click Student View on any video lesson.

Supported content

Automatic captions work on:

Uploaded videos in any standard format (MP4, MOV, etc.)
Meeting recordings from live sessions held through Ruzuku's built-in video conferencing
Audio files uploaded to lessons (these get a transcript without the video player overlay)

Captions do not apply to:

Externally embedded videos (YouTube, Vimeo links). Those platforms handle their own captions.
Zoom recordings that are linked as external URLs rather than uploaded to Ruzuku.

Language support

The automatic caption system works best with English audio. It can process other languages, but accuracy may vary. If you teach in a language other than English and want to check how well captions work for your content, upload a test video and review the results.

For highly specialized terminology (medical, legal, technical), the captions may occasionally get a word wrong. The overall accuracy is high, but spot-checking is always a good idea for specialized content.

Turning captions off for a course

Captions are on by default for all courses on a Pro site. If you want to hide captions and transcripts for a specific course, you can toggle them off in Course Settings.

See Turn captions and transcripts on or off for step-by-step instructions.

Turning off captions hides them from students but does not delete the generated transcripts. You can turn them back on anytime and the transcripts reappear without needing to be regenerated.

Why captions matter for your courses

Accessibility. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing can follow your content through captions and transcripts. In some contexts (corporate training, higher education), captions may be required for compliance.
Comprehension. Research shows many learners retain information better when they can read along while watching video.
Flexibility. Students can study in quiet environments like libraries, offices, or public transit without headphones.
Searchability. Transcripts turn your video content into searchable text. Instead of rewatching a 45-minute video to find one point, students can search the transcript and jump right to it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to enable captions or set anything up?

No. Captions and transcripts are generated automatically for every video and audio file uploaded to a Pro site. There is no setup step.

Are captions available on the Core or Free plan?

No. Automatic captions and transcripts are a Pro-only feature. If you're on Core or Free, you can still upload videos, but they won't have auto-generated captions.

Can I edit the captions if they have errors?

The captions are generated automatically and can't be edited directly in Ruzuku. If you notice significant errors, contact support@ruzuku.com for help.

Do captions work on meeting recordings?

Yes. Any video recording from a live meeting held through Ruzuku's built-in video conferencing gets captions and a transcript automatically, just like uploaded videos.

Can I download the transcript?

Students can view and search the transcript on the lesson page. If you need to download a copy, contact support@ruzuku.com.

Need Help?

Email us at support@ruzuku.com — we typically respond within a few hours (M-F 10am-6pm ET).