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Caption Float
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A little help, right here.

Getting started, common questions, and practical help for Caption Float.

Getting started

The Chrome Web Store release is coming soon. The instructions below describe how to use Caption Float once it is installed.

  1. Use a supported browser.

    Chrome 130 or later is required. Start a YouTube or standard HTML5 video.

  2. Open the floating window.

    Hover the YouTube video and select Open floating window, or press Alt + Shift + P on a supported page.

  3. Choose your layout.

    Select Video, Captions, or Both. Close the floating window or press the shortcut again to restore the video.

Common questions

Why are there no captions?

The video must provide YouTube captions or a standard HTML5 text track. On YouTube, choosing Captions or Both automatically turns on CC while preserving your selected language and auto-translation. On other supported pages, enable the text track on the original page. If captions remain unavailable, check the player’s status message and use Retry. Custom caption systems and videos without captions may not be supported.

Why did automatic scrolling stop?

Scrolling the transcript manually pauses following. Select Back to current to return to the active caption. Current-word highlighting requires word timing from the source.

How do I jump between lines or repeat a caption?

In Captions or Both mode, use the previous line, loop current line, and next line buttons in the bottom toolbar. With the floating window focused, press [ or ] to navigate and L to toggle looping. Shortcuts are inactive while you type in an editable field.

Navigation keeps the current play/pause state and moves an active loop to the new line. Changing line layout, seeking outside the loop, or switching to Video stops looping. These controls need suitable caption timing; they are disabled when it is unavailable.

Can I read captions one sentence at a time?

Enable the sentence layout in the bottom toolbar to reorganize captions into one sentence per line. Previous/next line and looping follow those displayed sentences. Turn it off to return to the original caption rows.

Where are the playback controls?

Playback and speed controls stay in the top toolbar. Caption controls appear in the bottom toolbar in Captions and Both layouts.

What does the extension icon do?

It opens the subscriptions side panel. To float a video, use the on-video button or Alt + Shift + P.

How do channel subscriptions work?

Subscribe in the side panel or right-click a YouTube page and choose Subscribe to this channel. Public RSS feeds provide the latest videos without an API key. Selecting a video opens its watch page in a dedicated tab; hover the video and choose Open floating window to float it. The subscription list uses Chrome sync. If a refresh fails, previous results remain available while the side panel stays open.

Can I resize the player?

Yes. Resize the floating window, adjust the text size, and drag the divider in Both mode. Window size, split position, text size, sentence layout, word highlighting, and the selected mode for each channel or website are remembered.

Troubleshooting

  • If the floating window does not open, check the extension’s red badge. Chrome may require you to click the on-page button again.
  • Check for shortcut conflicts at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
  • Protected video, canvas players, cross-origin frames, and custom caption renderers may not be supported.
  • For missing full transcripts on YouTube, the player may use visible captions instead.

Still need a hand?

Email support@tsangpo.net and include “Caption Float” in the subject. Please do not send passwords, authorization tokens, or private meeting or caption content.

Include your browser version, what you expected, and the steps to reproduce the problem. Share a public page address only if it is safe to do so.