How to show speech as chatbox subtitles in VRChat with OSC

The chatbox is the text bubble above an avatar in VRChat. With OSC switched on, an outside program can write to it, which is how speech-to-text and translation tools turn what you say into subtitles other players can read. This guide covers how to enable OSC, the limits of the chatbox, good manners when using it, and what to check when nothing shows up.

What OSC and the chatbox are

OSC stands for Open Sound Control. VRChat’s documentation describes it as “a way to get different devices and applications to talk to each other.” It is an official feature, documented by VRChat, and using it does not modify the game.

The chatbox is an official feature too. You can type into it yourself: press Y on a keyboard, or open the Action Menu and go to Tools, then Chatbox. OSC gives programs the same ability through two addresses:

• /chatbox/input sends text. A flag decides whether the text is sent right away or placed in the keyboard for you to confirm, and another flag can switch off the notification sound.
• /chatbox/typing turns the typing indicator on or off.

You do not need to deal with these addresses yourself. They matter only because every chatbox tool is bound by what they allow.

How to enable OSC in VRChat

1. Open the Action Menu. On a keyboard press R. On a VR controller, hold the button that normally opens the Quick Menu. On a gamepad, press in the right thumbstick.
2. Go to Options, then OSC.
3. Switch on Enabled.
4. Optional: open OSC Debug in the same menu. It floats a panel in front of you that lists incoming OSC messages, so you can see whether a tool is reaching VRChat.

VRChat’s own documentation describes the switch as OSC > Enabled in the Action Menu. VRCT’s setup guide places the OSC entry under Options and notes that the setting persists between sessions, so you do this once.

By default VRChat receives OSC on port 9000 and sends on port 9001. A tool running on the same PC normally needs no configuration.

VRChat’s wiki lists OSC as available on PC, Android and iOS. A tool on a PC can reach a standalone headset only over the network, so check the tool’s documentation for that case.

VRChat adds a warning of its own: since OSC means downloading programs from the internet, “exercise caution” and use well-known, trustworthy applications.

Chatbox limits to know

The sending rate changed in VRChat 2026.2.1 (April 2026). The release notes say the old flat timeout was replaced by a rate limiter, and that automatically sent messages no longer count toward it. The notes do not define that term any further. If your text stops appearing while you talk quickly, lower the update rate in your tool.

The 144-character limit is the one you will notice. A long sentence has to be shortened or split by the tool, and how that is handled differs from tool to tool.

Showing your speech as chatbox text

A speech-to-text tool listens to your microphone, turns the speech into text, and sends the text to the chatbox. As of September 2026, these tools describe a plain transcription mode on their own pages:

• Kikitan Translator has a transcription mode that sends what you say straight to the chatbox. Its README suggests it for people who prefer not to speak in VRChat.
• TeaTalk can switch between translating and captioning your own words. Its site says speech recognition runs on your PC by default.
• VRCT converts microphone speech to chatbox text and can sync with your VRChat mute state.
• TTS Voice Wizard sends recognized speech to the chatbox and can also speak it with a synthetic voice.

All four can be used at no cost. Which one suits you depends on whether you want translation, a voice, or a VR overlay as well.

Showing translated speech

Translation adds one step to the same route: speech becomes text, the text is translated, and the translated text goes to the chatbox. Kikitan, TeaTalk and VRCT all do this.

Some tools send a voice as well as text. TalkFerry, for example, plays a translated voice through a virtual microphone and also writes the translation to the chatbox, so people who are not looking at you still get the message. It is a paid service after 5 free minutes, while the text tools above cost nothing. The guide on how to use a translator in VRChat compares the two approaches, and the TalkFerry page for VRChat describes that setup.

One thing the chatbox cannot do is caption other people. It shows your words to them. To read what others say, you need a tool that listens to the game audio, which is covered in live captions for VRChat and Discord.

Chatbox etiquette

The chatbox sits above your head in a shared space, so a few habits help:

• Keep messages short. One thought per message reads better than a block of nine lines.
• Turn off the notification sound if your tool allows it. A sound on every sentence gets tiring for people nearby.
• Run one chatbox tool at a time. Only the latest message is visible, so two tools overwrite each other.
• Know what happens when you are muted. TeaTalk, by default, transcribes nothing while you are muted in VRChat. Check how your tool behaves before you say something private.
• Do not depend on it alone. Some people hide chatboxes. If someone does not react, they may not see your text at all.
• Say that it is machine text. A short note that you are using speech-to-text or a translator helps people forgive the odd mistake.

VRChat OSC not working: what to check

Go through these in order.

1. OSC is enabled. Open the Action Menu, then Options, then OSC. Opening OSC Debug also turns OSC on.
2. OSC Debug shows messages. If messages arrive there but no text appears, continue with step 3 and then the reset steps. If the panel stays empty, nothing is reaching VRChat, so look at steps 4 and 5.
3. Your chatbox is visible. In VRChat’s chatbox settings, check “Show Own Chatbox” and “Local Chatbox Visibility”.
4. The tool sends to the right place. The default is address 127.0.0.1, port 9000. If you start VRChat with the --osc launch option, the ports may differ.
5. Nothing else holds the port. TTS Voice Wizard’s docs describe this case: if OSC Debug stays empty, another program may be listening on port 9000. They suggest running netstat -aon | findstr 9000 in a terminal and looking up the process ID. They also report cases where a VPN blocked OSC.
6. Reset the OSC config. Both VRCT’s and TTS Voice Wizard’s docs point to a Reset Config button in the same OSC menu, followed by a VRChat restart.
7. Clear the OSC folder. As a last step, TTS Voice Wizard’s docs suggest closing VRChat, deleting the OSC folder, and starting VRChat again. VRChat stores its per-avatar OSC config files under AppData\LocalLow\VRChat\VRChat\OSC and generates them again when they are missing.

If your tool needs to receive data from VRChat as well, and you run several OSC apps, they can also compete for port 9001. VRChat supports OSCQuery, which lets apps find each other without fixed ports. Whether a tool uses it is up to the tool.

Sources

• VRChat docs: OSC overview
• VRChat docs: OSC as input controller (chatbox)
• VRChat docs: OSC debugging
• VRChat docs: OSC avatar parameters (config files)
• VRChat docs: 2026.2.1 release notes
• VRChat wiki: Chatbox
• VRChat wiki: OSC
• VRChat wiki: Action Menu
• VRChat OSC wiki on GitHub: OSCQuery
• VRCT docs: OSC setup and troubleshooting
• TTS Voice Wizard docs: Sending text via OSC
• Kikitan Translator on GitHub
• TeaTalk

Frequently asked questions

How do I enable OSC in VRChat?

Open the Action Menu (R on a keyboard, or hold the menu button on a VR controller), go to Options, then OSC, and switch on Enabled. The OSC Debug entry in the same menu shows incoming messages.

What is the VRChat chatbox character limit?

144 characters per message, with at most 9 lines displayed including word wrap, according to VRChat's OSC documentation. Only the most recent message is shown.

What port does VRChat OSC use?

By default VRChat receives OSC on UDP port 9000 and sends on port 9001. The --osc launch option changes these values.

Why is my OSC chatbox text not showing?

The usual causes are OSC being switched off, your own chatbox being hidden in the chatbox settings, a tool sending to the wrong port, or another program already listening on port 9000.

Can other players turn off my chatbox?

Yes, for themselves. Each user chooses whether to see chatboxes from everyone, from friends only, or only their own, so some people will not see your text.

We make TalkFerry, one of the tools mentioned here. Software changes quickly: check each tool’s own page before you rely on a detail. Found a mistake? Write to support@talkferry.com.