Turn off captions in three steps

To turn off captions on Apple TV, open the app or device you're watching on, find the caption button during playback, and toggle it off. The exact location of this button depends on whether you're using an Apple TV box, an iPhone, iPad, or another device — but the principle is the same across all of them. Most of the time you'll find the button in the playback controls that appear when you tap the screen.

Captions stay off for that single viewing session. If you want captions off by default for all future shows and movies, you'll need to change your accessibility settings instead. That's a separate step covered below.

Key Takeaways

  • During playback, tap the screen to reveal the control bar, then look for a speech bubble or "CC" icon to toggle captions off.
  • On Apple TV boxes, use the Siri Remote to navigate to the caption button in the playback menu.
  • On iPhones and iPads, swipe up from the bottom of the screen or tap the screen to find the caption toggle.
  • To turn off captions permanently across all content, go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captioning and turn off the toggle.
  • Some shows and movies may not have captions available, so the caption button won't appear even if captions are enabled in your settings.

Turning off captions on an Apple TV box

If you're watching on an Apple TV device connected to your television, tap the touchpad on your Siri Remote or press any button to bring up the playback controls. You'll see a row of buttons at the bottom of the screen. Look for a speech bubble icon or the letters "CC" — that's the caption button.

Press the touchpad or click on that icon. A menu will appear showing caption options. Select "Off" to disable captions for that show or movie. The captions will disappear when ready. If you don't see a caption button at all, it means that particular content doesn't have captions available.

Turning off captions on iPhone or iPad

When you're watching the Apple TV app on an iPhone or iPad, tap anywhere on the screen during playback to reveal the control bar. You'll see several buttons arranged horizontally — play/pause, volume, and others. Swipe left across these buttons or look for a speech bubble or "CC" icon.

Tap that icon to open the caption menu. You'll see options like "Off," "English," or other languages depending on what's available for that content. Tap "Off" to disable captions. The controls will disappear after a few seconds, and you'll watch without captions.

Turning off captions on Mac, iPhone, or iPad through settings

If you want captions off by default for everything you watch — not just one show — you need to change your accessibility settings. This way, captions won't turn on automatically even if they're available.

On an Apple TV box: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captioning. Toggle off the switch next to "Subtitles and Captioning." This disables captions system-wide unless you manually turn them back on during playback.

On an iPhone or iPad: Open Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captioning. Toggle off "Subtitles and Captioning." On a Mac: Open System Settings > Accessibility > Captions > toggle off "Prefer Closed Captions and SDH."

Why captions might still appear even after you turn them off

Some content creators or networks burn captions directly into the video itself — meaning they're part of the actual image, not a separate layer you can toggle. These captions cannot be turned off through the Apple TV settings or playback controls because they're not optional captions; they're baked into the file.

If you see text on screen that won't disappear when you turn off captions, that's likely what's happening. The only way to avoid them is to watch a different version of that content if one exists without burned-in captions.

Common mistakes when trying to turn off captions

The most common mistake is looking for the caption button in the wrong place. On some devices, you have to swipe or tap multiple times to reveal all the control buttons — the caption toggle might not be visible on the first tap. Try tapping the screen again or swiping left and right across the control bar.

Another mistake is confusing the caption button with other icons. The caption button usually looks like a speech bubble, a rectangle with lines, or the letters "CC." Volume, subtitles, and audio track buttons look different. If you're not sure which button does what, tap each one slowly and watch what changes on screen.

Finally, remember that turning off captions during playback only affects that one viewing session. If captions come back on the next time you watch something, it's because your accessibility settings still have them enabled. You'll need to change those settings in the Accessibility menu to keep them off permanently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why don't I see a caption button during playback?

The caption button only appears if captions are available for that specific show or movie. Not all content has captions. If the button isn't there, captions aren't available for what you're watching. You can also check your accessibility settings to make sure captions aren't disabled system-wide, which would hide the button.

Do I have to turn off captions every time I watch something?

No. If you turn off captions in your accessibility settings, they'll stay off by default for everything. You'll only need to turn them on manually if you want them for a specific show. Changing the settings once is faster than toggling captions off every time you watch.

Can I turn off captions for just one app but keep them on for others?

No. Accessibility settings explore system-wide across all apps on your device. If you turn off captions in Settings, they'll be off in the Apple TV app, the YouTube app, and any other app that supports captions. You can only toggle captions on or off during individual playback sessions.

What if captions are off but I still see text on the screen?

That text is burned into the video itself and cannot be removed through the Apple TV settings. It's part of the actual image, not an optional caption layer. Your only option is to find a different version of that content without burned-in captions, if one exists.

Do caption settings sync across my Apple devices?

Yes, if you use the same Apple ID on multiple devices and have iCloud sync enabled, your accessibility settings including caption preferences will sync across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Your Apple TV box settings are separate and don't sync with other devices.