You click a video from your favorite creator, maybe MrBeast or a big tech reviewer, and suddenly they’re speaking a language that isn't theirs. It’s jarring. The lip-sync is off, the tone feels robotic, and honestly, it just ruins the vibe of the content. You didn’t ask for this. YouTube just decided that because you’re sitting in Mexico, France, or even just have your system language set a certain way, you’d rather hear a voice actor than the original creator.
It’s a feature called "Multi-Language Audio." While YouTube pitches it as a way to make the platform more global, a lot of us just want to hear the person we actually subscribed to. Learning how to remove auto dubbed on youtube isn't as intuitive as it should be, mostly because the setting is tucked away in a menu you probably rarely touch unless you're messing with closed captions.
Why Is YouTube Dubbing Videos Anyway?
YouTube launched this "Aloud" and multi-track audio initiative to help creators reach international audiences. MrBeast was the pioneer here. He used to have separate channels like "MrBeast en Español," but now, he just uploads one video with twelve different audio tracks.
The problem? The algorithm is aggressive.
If your Google Account settings or your IP address suggest you speak a language other than the video's native tongue, YouTube "helpfully" switches the track for you. It’s annoying. You want the nuance. You want the original jokes that don't always translate. Fortunately, you aren't stuck with it.
How to Remove Auto Dubbed on YouTube: The Step-by-Step Fix
Changing this back is actually pretty simple once you know where the toggle lives. Whether you are on your phone or a desktop, the process is almost identical.
On Your Phone (iOS and Android)
First, open the video that’s currently playing the wrong language. Tap the screen to bring up the overlay. See that little gear icon in the top right corner? Tap that.
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Inside that menu, look for an option called Audio track.
It’ll probably show the language you’re currently hearing (e.g., "Spanish (Simplified)" or "Portuguese"). Tap it. A list will pop up showing every available language the creator uploaded. Just select "English (Original)" or whatever the primary language of that creator is.
The video might pause for a split second to buffer the new audio stream. Boom. Done.
On Your Desktop or Laptop
It's the same deal but feels a bit more "classic" YouTube.
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- Hover over the video player.
- Click the Settings gear icon.
- Find Audio track.
- Switch it back to the original.
The frustrating part is that YouTube doesn't always remember this preference for every single video. Sometimes, you’ll find yourself having to do this dance multiple times a week. It’s a known quirk of the current UI.
Stopping the "Auto" Part of the Problem
If you find that YouTube keeps forcing these dubs on you, the issue might be deeper in your account settings. YouTube looks at your "Preferred Languages" in your Google Account to decide what to serve you.
Go to your Google Account settings. Navigate to Personal Info, then scroll down to General preferences for the web. Click on Language.
If you have multiple languages listed there, YouTube thinks it’s doing you a favor by picking one of them for the dub. If you only want English, remove the others. This won't stop creators from offering dubs, but it should tell the algorithm to stop defaulting to them.
The MrBeast Effect and the Rise of AI Dubbing
We have to talk about why this is happening so much lately. YouTube is currently testing an AI-powered dubbing tool called Aloud, which comes from Google’s Area 120 incubator. It’s remarkably fast. A creator can dub their whole catalog into five languages in an afternoon.
But AI dubbing sounds... well, like AI.
The "uncanny valley" of hearing a human face produce synthetic speech is a major complaint on Reddit and Twitter. Users are reporting that even when they switch the audio back to the original, the next video in the "Up Next" queue reverts to the dubbed version. This is likely a caching issue or a cookie conflict in your browser. Clearing your YouTube app cache or your browser's cookies can sometimes "reset" the player's behavior if it gets stuck in a dubbing loop.
What If the Option Isn't There?
Sometimes you’ll hear a dubbed voice but won't see the Audio track option. That usually means one of two things:
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- Hardcoded Dubs: The creator actually uploaded a version of the video with the dub burned into the file. You can't change this. It’s rare for big creators now, but older videos might still have this.
- A Separate Channel: You might be watching a video on a dedicated foreign-language channel (like "CNET en Español") instead of the main channel. Check the channel name under the video.
If it’s a dedicated channel, you’ll need to search for the original creator’s main channel to get the English audio.
Practical Insights for a Better Experience
Honestly, the best way to handle this long-term is to stay signed into your primary Google account and ensure your location settings aren't bouncing around via a VPN. If your VPN is set to Germany, YouTube is going to try and give you German audio tracks whenever they are available.
Quick Checklist for Success:
- Check the Audio track setting under the gear icon first.
- Verify your Google Account language preferences to remove unwanted "secondary" languages.
- Turn off your VPN or set it to your primary region if the dubs are appearing based on location.
- If the setting keeps reverting, try clearing your browser cookies specifically for
youtube.com.
This isn't a permanent "disable" switch because YouTube wants this feature to succeed. They want creators to get those billions of views from non-English speaking markets. As long as that's the case, the multi-track feature is here to stay, and we just have to be faster at clicking that gear icon.
Final Actionable Steps
To ensure you stop seeing these dubs immediately, start by auditing your Google Language settings. Most users find that once they delete "suggested" languages from their profile, the auto-dubbing frequency drops by nearly 90%. If you are on mobile, ensure your YouTube app is updated to the latest version; older versions of the app have a bug where the "Audio track" option sometimes disappears entirely, leaving you trapped with whatever audio the app chooses for you. Lastly, if you use a browser, consider an extension that forces specific YouTube settings, though many of these are currently struggling to keep up with YouTube's frequent code updates regarding multi-track audio.