How to turn Captions on when viewing Netflix

Closed captions provide an important connection to entertainment and news for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Closed captions are also useful when dialogue is difficult to understand, or when the volume cannot be turned up too loud. In this tutorial, we show how to turn captions on in some of the most common devices, when viewing Netflix.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Mac and PC
Roku
Apple TV 2 and 3
Apple TV 4
Google Chromecast
iOS devices
Android devices and NOOK
Xbox 360 and Xbox One
PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4
Amazon Fire TV
Wii and Wii U
Other smart TVs, set-top Boxes and Blu-ray players

Mac and PC:

During playback, hover over the dialog icon in the toolbar and select your desired subtitle option:

Roku:

To adjust subtitles on your Roku:

• Launch the Netflix app.
• Select a TV show or movie.
• Select Audio & Subtitles from the description page.
• Select your preferred subtitle options.
• Press Back to return to the description page, and click Play.

On newer Roku devices, Audio & Subtitles options are accessible while a TV show or movie is playing:

• Launch the Netflix app.
• Select a TV show or movie.
• While your TV show or movie is playing, press the Down arrow.
• Select Audio & Subtitles.
• Select your preferred subtitle options.

Apple TV 2 and 3:

Enabling subtitles on Apple TVs will require that you have Software Version 5.0 or later installed on the device. Subtitle and caption settings must be adjusted from the Apple TV menu, before they can be adjusted in the Netflix app.

To adjust your subtitle and caption settings on Apple TV:

• From the device home screen, select Settings -> General -> Accessibility.
• Enable Closed Captions + SDH.
• From this screen, you can customize the appearance of subtitles and closed captions by selecting Style and choosing your preferred styling.

To adjust your subtitle and caption settings within Netflix

• Launch the Netflix app.
• Select a TV show or movie.
• While your TV show or movie is playing, hold down the center button on your Apple TV remote.
• Select your preferred Closed Caption + SDH options.

Apple TV 4:

Enabling subtitles on Apple TVs will require that you have tvOS 9.0 or later installed on the device.
Subtitle and caption settings must be adjusted from the Apple TV menu before they can be adjusted in the Netflix app.

To adjust your settings on Apple TV:

• From the device home screen, select Settings -> General -> Accessibility.
• Enable Closed Captions + SDH.

To adjust your settings within Netflix:

• Launch the Netflix app.
• Select a TV show or movie.
• While your TV show or movie is playing, swipe down the touchpad on your Apple TV 4 remote.
• Select your preferred subtitle language, or Closed Caption + SDH options.

You can also assign closed captioning to an Accessibility Shortcut on your Siri remote, allowing you to switch closed captioning on and off by simply triple-clicking the menu button. To find this feature, go to Settings -> General/Accessibility -> Accessibility Shortcut, and select Closed Captions:

Google Chromecast:

Subtitles must be adjusted from the Android or iOS device that you're using with your Chromecast.

iOS devices:

Subtitle and caption settings must be adjusted from the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch menu before they can be adjusted in the Netflix app.

To adjust your settings on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

• From the device home screen, select Settings -> General -> Accessibility.
• Select Subtitles & Captioning.
• Use the slider to enable Closed Captions + SDH:

To adjust your settings within Netflix:

• Launch the Netflix app.
• Select a TV show or movie.
• While your TV show or movie is playing, tap anywhere on the screen.
• Select the Dialog bubble, in the upper-right corner.
• Select your preferred subtitle options.
• Tap X to continue watching.

Android devices and NOOK:

Android devices that support Netflix also support subtitles. To adjust subtitles on your Android device (including NOOK):

• Launch the Netflix app.
• Select a TV show or movie.
• While your TV show or movie is playing, tap anywhere on the screen.
• Select the Dialog bubble, in the upper-right corner.
• Select your preferred audio or subtitle options.
• Tap Done to resume playback.

Xbox 360 and Xbox One:

• During playback, press Down on your controller.
• Select Audio and Subtitles and press A.
• Use the directional buttons to select your desired subtitle option and press A to confirm.

PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4:

• During playback, press Down on your controller.
• Select Audio and Subtitles and press X.
• Use the directional buttons to select your desired subtitle option and press X to confirm.

Amazon Fire TV:

• During playback, press Menu on your controller.
• Select Turn Captions On.
• Once captions are turned on, you can change their size and color by navigating left or right on the track pad. Press Menu one more time to exit and resume playing.

Wii and Wii U:

• On Wii, during playback, select the Dialog bubble on the screen. Click Play on your remote to continue playing.
• On Wii U, during playback, select the Dialog bubble on the screen. Click X on your remote to continue playing.

Other smart TVs, set-top Boxes and Blu-ray players:

On other smart TV, set-top box devices, or Internet-connected Blu-ray players:

Before playback:

• Launch the Netflix app on your device.
• Select the desired movie or TV show.
• Go to Options -> Audio & Subtitles.
• Highlight and select the desired subtitle option.
• Return to the main screen and press Play.

During playback:

• During playback, press the Down arrow on your remote.
• Select Audio & Subtitles from the options.
• Select the desired subtitle option. 

 

Note: If you are watching a TV show or movie that was produced in another region, you may not have the ability to turn off captions.