Turn on closed captions in your Apple TV settings
Closed captions appear at the bottom of your screen and show dialogue, sound effects, and music cues as text. To turn them on, open Settings on your Apple TV home screen, then go to Accessibility > Subtitles and Captions > Closed Captions + SDH. Toggle this option to On. From that point forward, captions will display automatically on any app or content that offers them.
The SDH in the name stands for "Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing" — this version includes descriptions of sounds and music, not just dialogue. If you prefer regular subtitles (which show only dialogue and are often in different languages), you can choose Subtitles instead, but closed captions are the standard choice for accessibility.
Once you enable captions in Settings, they stay on until you turn them off again. You do not need to repeat this step for each show or movie.
Key Takeaways
- Closed captions are turned on through Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captions > Closed Captions + SDH, then toggled to On.
- Once enabled in your Apple TV settings, captions will appear automatically on any content that includes them.
- Not every app or streaming service offers captions — the option appears only when the content supports it.
- You can adjust the text size, font, and background color in the same Accessibility menu if the default appearance is hard to read.
Adjust caption appearance for readability
After you turn on captions, you may want to change how they look. In the same Subtitles and Captions menu, you will find options to change the text size, font style, and background color. Tap Style to see preset combinations — these include options with dark backgrounds, white text, or larger fonts.
If none of the presets work for you, select Create New Style to customize the text size, font, color, background, and transparency on your own. This is useful if you have low vision or if the default white text on a dark background causes glare on your TV screen.
Check if your content supports captions
Not every show, movie, or streaming app offers closed captions. Older content, live broadcasts, and some smaller streaming services may not include them. The easiest way to find out is to start playing something and look for a caption icon on the playback controls — if captions are available, you will see a speech bubble or "CC" symbol.
If you have captions turned on in Settings but nothing appears on screen, the content you are watching does not include captions. Try a different show or movie to confirm your settings are working. Most major streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+ include captions on nearly all their content.
Turn captions on or off for individual shows
Even if you have captions enabled in Settings, you can turn them off for a specific show without changing your overall settings. While a video is playing, press the Menu button on your remote, then look for a Subtitles or CC option. Select it to toggle captions on or off for that video only.
This is helpful if you want captions on most of the time but prefer to watch certain content without them — for example, if you are watching a music video or a show where you want to focus on the visuals. Your default setting in Accessibility remains unchanged, so captions will return the next time you watch something else.
Troubleshoot captions that are not appearing
If you have turned on captions in Settings but they are not showing up, first confirm that the content itself supports them. Check the app's description or information page — streaming services usually list whether captions are included. If the app says captions are available but you still do not see them, try restarting the app or restarting your Apple TV device.
If captions work on some apps but not others, the problem is likely that those specific apps do not include captions for that content. Contact the app's support team to ask whether captions are planned. If captions have stopped working on an app that previously showed them, restart your Apple TV by going to Settings > System > Restart.
Use captions with AirPlay from your iPhone or Mac
If you are streaming video from your iPhone or Mac to your Apple TV using AirPlay, captions may not appear automatically. Open the Control Center on your iPhone (or the menu bar on your Mac) while the video is playing and look for a Subtitles or CC option. Tap or click it to turn captions on for that stream.
Some apps handle captions differently when you use AirPlay, so if captions do not appear in the Control Center menu, try turning them on within the app itself before you start the stream. Once you stop AirPlaying and play the video directly on your iPhone or Mac, captions will follow the settings you have chosen in that device's accessibility menu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are captions not showing up even though I turned them on?
The content you are watching may not include captions. Check the app's description or try a different show. If captions worked before on the same app, restart your Apple TV through Settings > System > Restart. Some live broadcasts and older content do not have captions available.
Can I make the captions bigger or change the font?
Yes. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captions and tap Style. Choose one of the preset styles or select Create New Style to adjust text size, font, color, background, and transparency yourself.
Do I have to turn on captions every time I watch something?
No. Once you turn on captions in Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captions, they stay on for all content that supports them. You can turn them off for individual videos by pressing Menu during playback and selecting Subtitles, but your default setting does not change.
What is the difference between closed captions and subtitles?
Closed captions include dialogue plus descriptions of sounds and music — useful for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Subtitles show only dialogue and are often in different languages. Apple TV calls the caption option "Closed Captions + SDH" (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing).