Overview

Panopto includes features that instructors can use to improve the accessibility of course videos, including automatic machine captions, downloadable transcripts, and audio descriptions (i.e., narration of important visual information for viewers who are blind or have low vision). 

This article explains how to enable or disable automatic machine captions for a Panopto folder and individual video, review and edit captions for accuracy, delete captions from an individual video, download captions as a transcript, and add, edit, or delete audio descriptions.

UMD’s Electronic Information, Communication and Technology Accessibility Policy requires course content, including media and course videos, to be accessible to people with disabilities. Accurate captions and audio description are required under the policy and provide essential access for people with disabilities such as those who are deaf,  hard of hearing, low vision, or blind. 

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Panopto automatic machine captions

Automatic machine captions are generated using Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology, which converts spoken audio into text.  

Starting in September 2026, all videos uploaded to Panopto will be automatically machine-captioned. This change is an important step toward making captions more widely available to students.

Automatic captions will not be applied retroactively to videos already stored in your Panopto folders. For videos uploaded before this date, you may enable automatic machine captions for individual videos. 

It is important to note that:

• Automatic machine captions must be reviewed and edited for accuracy. When editing automatic machine captions, ensure they are accurate, complete, and synchronized with the audio. Captions should use correct spelling and punctuation, identify speakers when needed, and include meaningful non-speech sounds, such as music, laughter, or applause. Accurate captions are essential to ensuring the accessibility and overall quality of your Panopto videos and recordings.  
• When your students require professional captioning as an accommodation, you must work with the Accessibility and Disability Service office and request professional captioning for Panopto videos. Automatic machine captions are not a substitute for professional captioning required as an accommodation.
• You may turn off automatic machine captions for a folder or delete them from an individual video if the captions contain frequent or significant errors that could affect a viewer’s understanding and would be too difficult or time-consuming to edit.

The processes for editing, deleting, and turning off Panopto automatic machine captions are described below. 

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Enable automatic machine captions for a folder

As of September 16, 2026, all Panopto folders should have automatic machine captioning enabled by default. If for any reason a folder is not set for automatic captions, use the following steps to enable them.

1. Sign in to Panopto.
2. Navigate to your Folder in Panopto and select the three dots on the far right of the screen to open More Actions.
3. Select the gear icon for Settings.
4. From the menu, select Settings.
5. Scroll down to Request Captions. Use the drop-down menu to select Automatic Machine Captions. (It can take up to 8 hours to process machine-generated captions for a 60-minute video.)
6. Select the X to close the window.
   

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Turn off automatic machine captions for a folder

1. Sign in to Panopto.
2. Navigate to your Folder in Panopto and select the three dots on the far right of the screen to open More Actions.
3. Select the gear icon for Settings.
4. From the menu, select Settings.
5. Scroll down to Captions & Audio Descriptions. In the Automatically caption new sessions drop-down menu, select None.
6. Select the X to close the window.

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Edit automatic machine captions

It is vital that you review and edit all machine-generated captions for accuracy.

1. Hover over the title of your video and select the Edit icon.
   
2. In the left menu, select Captions.
3. You will see the captions displayed in time-stamped sections alongside the video. Click on the caption text and begin typing to correct the text.
   
4. Play the video to listen and pause to type. As you type, ensure that the text is accurate and check that all spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct.
5. Changes are automatically saved as they are made. When you are finished, select Apply at the top of the screen to save any caption or video edits and exit editing mode.

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Delete automatic machine captions

1. Sign in to Panopto.
2. Navigate to your Video in Panopto.
3. Hover over the video thumbnail and select the gear icon for Settings.
4. In the vertical left-hand menu, select Captions.
5. In the Available Captions area, select the arrow.
6. Select the blue Delete Captions link.
7. It will ask if you are sure you want to delete the captions. Select OK.

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Download transcripts

Students can now download captions as a transcript when they view a video in Panopto, without any additional work by the instructor. Transcripts for videos with captions can be downloaded by following these steps.

1. Open the video that you want to download transcripts for.
2. Select the Captions tab.
   
3. In the upper right corner of the Captions area, select the Download icon. Captions automatically download as a .txt file. 
   

Manually add audio descriptions

1. In the editor, select the Audio Descriptions tab from the left-hand navigation.
2. Select the point in the timeline where you want it to be read.
3. Then, enter the audio description in the textbox that states Enter an audio description and hit enter.
4. Be sure to select Apply in the upper-right corner of the editor to apply your changes.

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Edit or delete audio descriptions

On the Audio Descriptions tab of the editor, hover over the entry you want to edit, select the three vertical dots that appear to its right, and in the drop-down menu that appears, select Edit. A pop-up window will appear where you can edit the audio description's text or the timestamp at which it appears. Select Save to save your changes. 

For more information about adding and editing Panopto audio descriptions, see How to Add Audio Descriptions from Panopto Support.

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Support

Contact itaccessibility@umd.edu if you need assistance. 

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