Caption YouTube Videos with MediaSpace
KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 27, 2026
Make Inaccessible YouTube Videos Accessible!
Most of us who have taught online, hybrid, or even in the traditional modality have experienced it: you find the perfect video for your course on YouTube. Maybe it’s an official clip from a film or a professionally produced video of an experiment. It could be the perfect illustration of a concept or a TED Talk from a leader in your field. In fact, if you’re like most of us, you probably have found more than one!
Then it comes…your online course is up for review, and the instructional designer points out that the video isn’t captioned. Or you teach face-to-face, and you just found out about the WCAG requirement and realize one of your best resources needs audio descriptions added to be compliant. They’re not your videos, so you can’t caption them or add descriptions.
You ask, “What are my options?” About the only one is to try to contact the owner of the video to see if they can add them. You try, but you get no response. The only thing left is to try to find another alternative.
Well, now there’s another option! Recently Kaltura MediaSpace has added a new feature that allows you to share a YouTube video through the Kaltura video player. As long as the video is available publicly on YouTube, we can now use MediaSpace to add captions and even audio descriptions to third-party videos on YouTube!
- First, log in to Kaltura MediaSpace using your KSU credentials.
- Click "Add New" from the options on the top right.
- You'll be prompted to agree to the terms and conditions by clicking a check box.
- Paste the URL for the YouTube video and click "Preview."
- Mark it as Unlisted or Published, then click "Save."
- The video will now show up in your "My Media." All descriptions from the video will be carried over into the MediaSpace player.
You can also watch our short video: Using MediaSpace to Improve the Accessibility of a YouTube Video.
As with videos you upload directly, MediaSpace will immediately begin processing machine captions. Those will likely need to be edited for accuracy. DLI supports professional captioning in limited circumstances and can have audio descriptions ordered as well. To learn more about captions and audio descriptions, visit our page: Media Accessibility: Captions and More.
Faculty can request professional captions or audio descriptions at the DLI Service Portal.
Kennesaw State is known across the state of Georgia for being a leader in digital accessibility! And KSU faculty have worked hard to lead the way. We are very excited that we now have another way to share premium content with our students all while ensuring that all of our students have access.
Please contact DLI through the Service Portal if you have any questions or need extra support!
