How to Turn Off Closed Captions on Apple TV

Turn off closed captions in your Apple TV settings

To turn off closed captions on Apple TV, open Settings from the home screen, then go to Accessibility > Subtitles and Captions > Closed Captions + SDH and toggle it off. The captions will stop appearing on all apps and content unless you turn the setting back on. This is the permanent way to disable captions across your entire Apple TV device.

If you only want to turn off captions for a single show or movie, you can do that without changing your settings. While a video is playing, press the Menu button on your remote, then select Subtitles and Captions and choose Off. The captions will disappear for that video only, and your device settings stay the same.

Key Takeaways

Disabling captions permanently requires going to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captions > Closed Captions + SDH and toggling the setting off.
You can turn off captions for just one video by pressing Menu during playback and selecting Subtitles and Captions > Off.
Turning off captions in Accessibility settings removes them from all apps and content on your Apple TV.
Some streaming apps have their own caption controls separate from Apple TV's system settings, so captions may still appear in certain apps even after you disable them in Accessibility.
If captions reappear after you turn them off, check whether the app itself has caption settings that override your device settings.

Disable captions permanently through Accessibility settings

The most direct way to turn off closed captions on Apple TV is through the Accessibility menu. From your home screen, highlight Settings and press select on your remote. Navigate down to Accessibility and press select again.

Once you are in Accessibility, scroll down until you see Subtitles and Captions. Press select to open that menu. You will see several options, including Closed Captions + SDH. This is the setting that controls standard closed captions. Press select on it to toggle it off. When the toggle is off, closed captions will no longer appear on your Apple TV unless you turn this setting back on.

This change affects your entire device, so captions will stop showing on all apps and all content. If you later want captions back on, you return to the same menu and toggle the setting back on.

Turn off captions for a single video during playback

If you want to watch one show or movie without captions but keep your device settings unchanged, you can disable captions just for that video. Start playing the content you want to watch. Once the video is running, press the Menu button on your Apple TV remote.

A menu will appear on screen with several options. Look for Subtitles and Captions and press select. You will see a list of choices, including Off. Select Off to remove captions from that video when ready. When you finish watching and move to a different show or movie, your device will return to whatever caption setting you had before.

This method is useful if captions are on by default but you want to turn them off just for one viewing. Your accessibility settings remain unchanged, so if captions were on system-wide, they will still be on for your next video unless you turn them off again.

Check individual app settings if captions keep appearing

Some streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu have their own caption controls built into the app itself. These app-level settings can override your Apple TV system settings, which means captions might still appear even after you turn them off in Accessibility.

If captions keep showing up on a specific app, open that app and look for its own settings or preferences menu. Most streaming apps have a settings icon (usually a gear symbol) somewhere on the screen. Go into that app's settings and look for a Subtitles, Captions, or Accessibility section. Turn off captions there as well.

Once you disable captions in both your Apple TV settings and the individual app, they should stop appearing. Different apps organize their menus differently, so you may need to explore the app's menu to find where captions are controlled.

Understand the difference between Closed Captions and other caption types

Apple TV's Accessibility menu offers several caption options beyond just Closed Captions + SDH. Understanding what each one does helps you turn off the right setting. Closed Captions + SDH includes dialogue and sound descriptions like "[door slams]" or "[music playing]". SDH stands for Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

If you see captions appearing but you only turned off Closed Captions + SDH, check whether another caption setting is turned on. Go back to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captions and look at all the options listed. You may need to turn off multiple settings if more than one is enabled. Most users only need to toggle off Closed Captions + SDH to stop seeing captions.

Troubleshoot captions that won't turn off

If you have turned off captions in your Apple TV settings but they still appear, start by restarting your Apple TV. Unplug the device from power, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in. Let it fully restart and try playing a video again to see if captions are gone.

If captions still appear after a restart, check whether the app you are using has its own caption settings. As mentioned earlier, some apps override system settings. Open the app's menu or settings and look for caption controls there. You may also want to check whether you accidentally turned captions back on in your Apple TV settings — go back to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captions and confirm that Closed Captions + SDH is still toggled off.

If you are using an older Apple TV model, the menu structure might be slightly different. The Accessibility and Subtitles and Captions options should still exist, but they may be organized differently. Look for "Settings" first, then search for any menu labeled "Accessibility" or "Captions".

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off captions in settings affect subtitles in other languages?

Closed captions and subtitles are separate settings on Apple TV. Turning off Closed Captions + SDH will not affect foreign language subtitles if you have those enabled separately. If you want to turn off all text on screen, you may need to disable both captions and subtitles in your Accessibility settings.

Can I turn off captions just for one app without changing my device settings?

Yes. Open the app and look for its own settings or preferences menu, usually marked with a gear icon. Find the Subtitles or Captions section within that app and turn captions off there. This change only affects that specific app and does not change your Apple TV system settings.

Why do captions turn back on after I turn them off?

Some apps automatically enable captions based on their own settings, overriding your Apple TV system settings. Check the individual app's caption controls and turn captions off there as well. You may also want to restart your Apple TV to make sure the setting change takes effect.

Do I need to restart Apple TV after turning off captions?

Usually captions turn off when ready after you change the setting, so a restart is not necessary. However, if captions do not disappear right away, try restarting your Apple TV by unplugging it for 10 seconds and plugging it back in.

What if my Apple TV remote does not have a Menu button?

Newer Apple TV remotes use the Back button instead of Menu. If your remote does not have a dedicated Menu button, press the Back button while a video is playing to access the same menu with caption controls.

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