Help & Guide

How to use StellarCaptions

Everything you need — from installing the extension to live captions, translation, and dubbed audio on any app.

Jump to

Getting started
Browser Tab
Microphone
Other Apps
Transcript
AI Dubbing
Caption settings
Credits & plans
Limitations

Getting started

StellarCaptions is a Chrome extension. Install it once and it works across every tab and app you open — no extra software needed.

Go to the Chrome Web Store, search for StellarCaptions, and click Add to Chrome.

Pin the icon to your toolbar: click the puzzle-piece icon in Chrome → find StellarCaptions → click the pin.

Click the icon to open the extension. Sign in or create a free account — 70 free credits are added automatically.

You're ready. No credit card needed.

🎁One credit ≈ one minute of live captioning. Your 70 free credits give you roughly an hour to try everything.

Browser Tab — YouTube, Twitch, TikTok & more

Use this when something is already playing in a browser tab — a YouTube video, Twitch stream, TikTok, podcast site, or any webpage with audio.

Open the tab with the video and press play.

Click the StellarCaptions icon in your Chrome toolbar.

Under Audio source, click Tab Audio (the first button — browser icon).

Pick your language in the Translate to dropdown.

Click Start Captions. Chrome will ask which tab to share — select your video tab.

A caption overlay appears on the page. Drag it to reposition it.

💡Captions show two lines: original speech on top, your translation below — both updating in real time.

Microphone — real-life conversations & lectures

Use this when the audio is happening in real life — a lecture, in-person conversation, live event, or interview. StellarCaptions listens through your device's microphone.

Click the StellarCaptions icon to open the extension.

Under Audio source, click Microphone (the middle button — mic icon).

Pick your translation language from the dropdown.

Click Start Captions. If Chrome asks for microphone permission, click Allow (only asked once).

Captions appear on screen as speech is detected near your microphone.

🎤For best accuracy, keep your device close to the speaker, or use an external microphone in noisy environments.

Other Computer Apps — Zoom, Discord & more

Only StellarCaptionsMost caption tools can't do this.

Use this when you want captions for an app running outside Chrome — Zoom desktop, Discord, Microsoft Teams, Skype, or any other desktop application.

Open the app and make sure audio is playing (e.g., join a Zoom call).

Click StellarCaptions and select Other App (the third button — monitor icon).

Choose your translation language.

Click Start Captions. Chrome shows a screen-share picker — click the Window tab and select your app's window.

Check Share system audio, then click Share. Captions start immediately.

🔒Chrome captures only the audio from that window — no video or screen content is recorded or stored anywhere.

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Transcript — every word, saved automatically

While captions run, StellarCaptions automatically builds a full transcript. Open the Transcript tab in the extension to see it live.

› Read live — the transcript scrolls in real time as captions are generated.
› Search — find any word or phrase after a session ends using the search bar.
› Export — download as plain text (.txt), Word (.docx), or PDF using the download button.
› Past sessions — all transcripts are saved and accessible from the Account tab any time.

📝Your transcripts belong to you. We never read, sell, or use the content of your captions or transcripts.

AI Dubbing — hear it in your language

AI Dubbing goes one step further than captions. Instead of reading a translation, you hear it spoken aloud in your chosen language — the original audio is automatically muted and replaced.

Open the extension and go to the Controls tab.

Find the Dubbing toggle and switch it on. The toggle turns dark when active.

Click Start Captions as normal. The dubbed audio plays through your speakers instantly.

🔊Dubbing works best with headphones. You'll hear the translated voice without the original speech underneath.

Customising captions

Adjust how captions look using the Caption settings panel in the Controls tab (click the "Caption settings" row to expand it):

› Font size — make captions bigger or smaller to suit your screen distance.
› Background opacity — lower it to see more of the video; raise it for high contrast.
› Text color — choose from white, yellow, green, blue, or a custom colour.
› Font family — switch to a font that's easiest for you to read.

Your caption appearance is saved and applied automatically next time.

Credits & plans

StellarCaptions runs on credits. Credits are consumed while live captioning is active — roughly 1 credit per minute.

Free — 70 credits included

Every new account starts with 70 free credits. No credit card required. About an hour of captioning.

When credits run out:

› Top-up — one-time credit purchase. Good if you use captions occasionally.
› Subscribe — monthly plan with a credit allowance. Best value for regular use.

Manage credits in the Account tab inside the extension, or on the pricing page.

ℹ️Credits are non-refundable once consumed. See our Terms of Service for full details.

Limitations

StellarCaptions uses AI to transcribe and translate audio in real time. There are a few things worth knowing upfront.

⏱ There is a short delay — and it's intentional

Captions appear a few seconds after the speaker talks. This is by design. The AI needs a short chunk of audio before it can confidently transcribe it. Instant captions would be full of uncorrected errors. The delay is the trade-off for accuracy you can actually rely on.

🎙 Audio quality affects accuracy

The clearer the audio, the better the captions. Heavy background noise, multiple speakers talking at once, or very fast speech will reduce accuracy. Microphone mode works best when the speaker is close to the device.

⚠️ AI translations are not perfect — please read this

All captions and translations are produced entirely by AI. AI makes mistakes: it mishears words, misses context, produces grammatical errors, and mistranslates — especially with accents, technical jargon, proper nouns, idioms, and informal speech. Accuracy varies significantly across languages and speaking styles.

Do not use StellarCaptions for anything where an error could matter. This includes legal proceedings, medical consultations, official documents, contracts, safety-critical situations, or any context where you would normally hire a qualified human interpreter. For situations like these, always consult a certified professional. StellarCaptions is designed for personal entertainment, accessibility assistance, and casual comprehension — not as a reliable substitute for professional translation or interpretation.

🖥 Window Capture requires a screen-share permission each time

When using Other Computer Apps mode, Chrome will ask you to approve a screen-share prompt at the start of every session. This is a built-in Chrome security requirement and cannot be bypassed.

🌐 Chrome only

StellarCaptions works in Google Chrome and Chromium-based browsers (Brave, Edge). It does not work in Safari or Firefox.

Questions? Email us: support@stellarcaptions.com

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