YouTube auto dubbing: how to turn it off, review it or replace it

What YouTube auto dubbing is

Automatic dubbing, also called auto dubbing or auto dub, is a YouTube feature that generates translated audio tracks for a video. The dub is an extra audio track on the same video, not a second upload, and YouTube marks such videos as auto-dubbed in the video description.¹

A creator doesn't have to do anything. When you upload a new video, the dubs are generated and published according to your channel's publication settings, and YouTube says it may also dub videos you published earlier.¹

In February 2026 YouTube announced that auto dubbing was available to everyone, in 27 languages, and that in the preceding December an average of more than 6 million viewers a day watched at least 10 minutes of auto-dubbed content.⁵

The clip at the top of this page shows the idea: one video, one button per audio language. It is an AI-generated DubSync demo, not a YouTube auto-dub.

• Expressive speech, sometimes

  For some language pairs the dub follows the original speaker's pitch and intonation. YouTube adds that it won't always be used, even where it is supported.¹

• It can get things wrong

  YouTube says dubs might contain errors caused by accents, dialects or background noise, that proper nouns, idioms and jargon are hard to translate, and that quality differs between languages.¹

• Lip-sync is an experiment

  A setting that alters lip movement to match the dub is in early access for select channels, and only for qualifying videos and languages.¹

How to turn off auto dubbing as a viewer

If a video starts in a language its creator never spoke, you are hearing a dubbed audio track: an auto-dub, or a track the creator uploaded. YouTube picks the track from your preferred language, which it works out from your watch history unless you have set it yourself.³

YouTube's Help gives two ways to get the original audio back: one for the video in front of you, one for what plays by default.²

For the video you are watching

1. Open Settings in the player

   The steps are the same on a computer and in the YouTube app on Android, iPhone and iPad.

2. Select Audio track

   The menu lists the audio languages that video has.

3. Choose the original language

   The video continues with its original audio. YouTube's Help describes this as a change for that specific video.

For every video in a language you understand

Add that language to your preferred languages. Videos whose original audio is in one of your preferred languages are not translated and play with the original audio. The setting covers dubbed audio, titles and descriptions.²

• On a computer: click your profile picture, then Settings, then Playback & Performance. Under Language, click the link to add or edit languages, select them and confirm.
• In the YouTube app on Android, iPhone or iPad: tap your profile picture, then Settings, then Languages, then Preferred languages. Select them and confirm.
• YouTube says preferred languages don't affect your search results or recommendations.²

Which channels get auto dubbing, and which videos are skipped

For creators, there is nothing to apply for. YouTube's Help page says the feature is enabled by default for eligible creators, and that a channel without it can switch it on through early access in Advanced settings.¹ The page doesn't list channel requirements.

Which languages you get depends on the language spoken in the video. YouTube adds languages gradually, so the lists below are the Help page's as of October 2026. For a specific video, the Languages page in YouTube Studio shows what it has.¹

How creators review, unpublish or delete an auto-dub

All of this happens in YouTube Studio on a computer. YouTube says that previewing, publishing and deleting dubs is not available anywhere else.¹

1. Open the video's Languages page

   Sign in to YouTube Studio, click Content and select the video. Then click Languages.¹

2. Listen to the dub

   In the Language column, click the language. In the Preview menu under the video, select that language and play the video.¹

3. Read the transcript

   In the Audio row under the description, select the language, open the menu of dubbed audio options and click Review.¹ If you don't speak the language, paste a few lines into a translator and compare them with what you said.

4. Publish, unpublish or delete

   Back on the Languages page, hover over the language and open the menu in the Audio column. Select Publish, Unpublish or Delete.¹

You can't correct a dub: YouTube states that automatic dubs can't be edited. There is one exception. If the dubs came out wrong because the video's language was set incorrectly, correct the original video language and they are generated again.¹

YouTube also says it may regenerate dubs over time to improve their quality.¹ A dub you checked once can change, so listen again now and then to the languages that matter to you.

How to turn off auto dubbing for your channel

YouTube says you can turn off auto dubbing at any time.¹ The settings give you three states. The middle one keeps the dubs and leaves the decision to publish with you.

• 01

  On, published automatically

  Automatic dubbing is allowed and manual review is not checked. Dubs are generated at upload and can go live without you hearing them.¹

• 02

  On, with manual review

  Dubs are still generated, but none goes live until you publish it on the video's Languages page. YouTube offers this to review dubs or to prevent their publication.¹

• 03

  Off

  Automatic dubbing is switched off for the whole channel. Choose it when you supply your own tracks or want only the original audio. You can turn it back on later.¹

• On a computer

  Sign in to YouTube Studio and click Settings, then Channel, then Advanced settings. Uncheck Allow automatic dubbing, or leave it checked and check Manually review dubs before publishing. Click Save.¹

• In the YouTube Studio app

  Tap your profile picture, then Settings. Under Content, tap Automatic dubbing and turn it on or off. Tap Publish manually if you want to review dubs before they are published.¹

The Help page describes this switch for the whole channel only. For a single video, unpublish or delete its dubs on the Languages page, or use manual review and leave them unpublished.

Keep the auto-dub, or replace it with your own track?

Auto dubbing is built into YouTube, and its Help page lists no fee for it.¹ For many channels it is enough. A dub of your own is worth paying for only in the cases in the second column.

How to replace an auto-dub with your own dubbed track

YouTube's multi-language audio feature lets you upload your own audio track for a language. It is available to channels with access to advanced features, and one rule matters here: an automatic dub in a language must be deleted before you can upload your own.³ The rule is per language, so the other auto-dubs can stay.

YouTube says active channels with enough history are likely to get advanced features automatically. You can also verify your identity with an ID or a video, an option it says isn't available to every creator.⁴

1. Dub the original file

   Upload the export from your editor to DubSync, choose the language and confirm the minutes. There is no link import, so you need the file itself. Our lesson on how to dub a video covers the recording and the checks.

2. Check it and export the audio

   Watch the dubbed MP4 from start to finish, ideally with a native speaker. YouTube accepts an audio-only file roughly as long as the video, and DubSync returns a video, so export the audio from the MP4 in a video editor.³

3. Delete the auto-dub in that language

   Do this only when your audio file is ready: that language has no dub until your track is published. On the video's Languages page in YouTube Studio on a computer, hover over the language, open the menu in the Audio column and select Delete. A deleted auto-dub can't be republished.¹

4. Add your track

   From the left menu, select Languages and click the video. Click Add Language and select the language. Next to Dub, click Add, then Select file, choose your audio file and click Publish.³

On labeling: YouTube's AI disclosure examples exempt cloning your own voice for voice-overs or dubs, while content that makes a real person appear to say something they didn't say has to be disclosed.⁶ The exemption is about your own voice, so read the rule if other people speak in your video. The multi-language audio guide compares an audio track with a separate channel.

Questions before you start