How to Turn Off Closed Captions on Netflix

Why You Might Want to Turn Off Closed Captions

Closed captions appear at the bottom of your Netflix screen as text that repeats dialogue and describes sounds in the show or movie you're watching. Many people find them useful — according to a 2021 survey from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about 70 million Americans regularly use captions, whether due to hearing loss, language learning, or simply watching in noisy environments.

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However, there are several reasons why you might want to turn them off. Some viewers find captions distracting, especially if they prefer to focus on the visuals without reading text. Others may have accidentally turned them on and want to know how to disable them quickly. Parents might turn them on for their children during certain content and want to switch them back off for adult viewing. Some people find that captions cover important parts of the screen, particularly on smaller devices like phones or tablets.

The good news is that Netflix stores your caption preference, so you won't need to turn them off every single time you watch something. Once you change the setting, it stays that way across all your devices — unless you specifically change it again. This means learning how to manage captions is a one-time process that makes your viewing experience much more personalized.

Understanding where to find the caption controls is the first step toward comfortable viewing. Netflix intentionally hides these settings somewhat because they want captions to remain available to those who need them, but they're still quite accessible once you know where to look.

Practical takeaway: Know that turning off captions is a preference you set once, not something you need to repeat for every show. This setting syncs across devices.

How to Turn Off Captions While Watching on Your TV

If you're watching Netflix on a television — whether it's a smart TV, connected through a streaming device, or via cable box — the process for disabling captions is consistent. Look at the bottom right corner of your screen while a show or movie is playing. You should see a series of icons, though they only appear when you move your remote or press a button on your controller. These icons typically include a volume control, a fullscreen button, and importantly, a speech bubble or "CC" symbol.

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The closed caption button looks like a rectangle with lines inside it, meant to represent text on a screen. Depending on your specific device or Netflix app version, it might say "CC," "Subtitles," or simply show a caption icon. When you hover over or click on this button with your remote, you'll see a menu appear with caption options. Select "Off" from this menu. That's the complete process — one click or button press and captions are disabled.

If you're using a remote with voice control features (like Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, or some Samsung Smart TVs), you have an alternative method. Simply speak into your remote and say "Turn off captions" or "Disable subtitles." The device will interpret this command and disable captions immediately. This voice method works on most modern streaming devices.

Some people find that the caption menu doesn't appear immediately. This happens because Netflix hides the playback controls after about 5 seconds of inactivity to keep the screen clean. If you don't see the controls, simply press any button on your remote — the play/pause button, the directional buttons, or even the home button — and the controls will reappear. Then locate the caption icon as described above.

Practical takeaway: On TV, look for the CC or caption icon in the bottom right of the playback controls, then click to access the caption menu and select "Off."

Disabling Captions on Phones, Tablets, and Computer Browsers

The process differs slightly when you're watching Netflix on a phone, tablet, or computer. While the caption icon is still present, its location and how you access it depends on what device you're using. The core principle remains the same — find the caption control and turn it off — but the physical steps vary.

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On a smartphone or tablet running Netflix's dedicated application, begin playing any show or movie. Tap anywhere on the center of the screen. This brings up the playback controls, which include play/pause buttons, a progress bar, and a series of icons in the top right corner. One of these icons should be the caption or CC symbol. Tap on it directly. A small menu will appear showing your caption options, including "Off." Select that option, and captions disappear immediately. If you don't see the controls after tapping, try tapping again — sometimes one tap activates the interface, and you need a second tap to see all options.

On a computer using Netflix through a web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, etc.), the process is nearly identical. Click anywhere on the video while it plays to reveal the playback controls. Look for the "CC" button or caption icon, which is usually located in the bottom right area of the player, just to the left of the fullscreen button. Click on this button. A dropdown menu appears with subtitle and caption options. Select "Off" from this menu. In web browsers, you may notice this button is slightly more visible than on TV — Netflix tends to keep it more permanent in the browser interface.

If you're using Netflix on an older model phone or tablet, or if the app hasn't been updated recently, the interface might look slightly different. The caption toggle might appear as a simple on/off switch rather than a full menu. If this is your case, simply look for any caption-related button or text on the screen and tap it to toggle captions off.

Practical takeaway: On mobile and computer, tap or click the video to reveal controls, then find and click the CC or caption button in the top right or bottom right area, and select "Off."

Understanding Netflix's Caption Settings Menu

Beyond simply turning captions off during playback, Netflix offers deeper caption settings that let you customize how they look and behave. These settings persist across all your Netflix viewing, making them worth exploring if you plan to keep captions off permanently or want to adjust how they appear when you do use them.

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To find these settings, go to your Netflix account profile. On a TV or computer, navigate to the main Netflix menu, look for a profile icon or "Account" option (usually in the top right corner), and select it. On mobile, this option is typically in a menu accessible from the bottom or side of the screen. Once in your account settings, look for "Playback Settings" or "Subtitle and Audio" options. The exact wording varies slightly depending on your device.

Within these settings, you'll see options for default subtitle language, caption style, and in some cases, whether to include descriptive audio. These aren't the same as the on/off toggle during playback — rather, they set your default preferences. If you set your default subtitle language to "Off" in this menu, Netflix will attempt to play content without subtitles by default on all devices linked to your account. However, content creators sometimes hardcode subtitles into the video itself (burned-in subtitles), which cannot be turned off through settings.

It's worth noting that if you share your Netflix account with family members, changing these account-level settings affects everyone using that account. Some families solve this by each user creating their own profile within the same account. Each profile maintains separate watch history, recommendations, and caption preferences. If multiple people share your TV, managing individual profiles prevents constant toggling of caption settings.

One feature Netflix includes is the ability to customize caption appearance — size, font, background color, and transparency. While not directly related to turning captions off, these options let you make captions less obtrusive if you want them on for specific content but don't want them so prominent.

Practical takeaway: Account settings let you set caption preferences that apply across all your devices, but these differ from the quick on/off toggle during playback.

Troubleshooting When Captions Won't Turn Off

Occasionally, you'll encounter a situation where captions seem stuck on or the CC button doesn't appear to work. This is usually frustrating but fixable. Understanding the common reasons this happens can save you time.

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The most frequent culprit is that some Netflix content has burned-in or hard-coded captions. These are subtitles that are literally part of the video file itself, not a feature you can toggle. They were created at the same time as the video and cannot be removed through settings