Enable Closed Captions in Your Account Settings
Closed captions on Disney Plus turn on through your account settings, not through individual shows. Once you enable them, captions appear automatically on every title you watch—unless you turn them off for a specific video. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're watching on a phone, tablet, computer, or TV device.
On a web browser or computer app, sign into your Disney Plus account, select your profile icon in the top right corner, and click "Account." Scroll down to find "Subtitle and Audio Preferences" and toggle the "Captions" option to on. The setting takes effect when ready on that device.
On a phone or tablet using the Disney Plus app, tap your profile icon at the bottom right, select "Account," scroll to "Subtitle and Audio Preferences," and turn on "Captions." This setting applies to that device only—if you watch on a different phone or tablet, you'll need to repeat the steps.
Key Takeaways
- Captions turn on in your account settings under "Subtitle and Audio Preferences," not in the video player itself.
- Each device you watch on has its own caption setting, so you may need to enable captions separately on your phone, tablet, computer, and TV.
- Once captions are on, they appear by default on all content, but you can turn them off for individual videos using the player controls.
- Disney Plus offers both English captions and captions in other languages depending on the title and your region.
Turn Captions On or Off During Playback
Even if captions are enabled in your settings, you can toggle them on and off while watching a specific show or movie. In the video player, look for the closed caption icon—it usually appears as a rectangle with "CC" inside it or as lines of text. Click or tap that icon to turn captions on or off for that video only.
On most devices, the caption button appears in the bottom right corner of the player, near the volume and fullscreen controls. If you don't see it when ready, move your cursor or tap the screen to reveal the player controls. The icon may look slightly different depending on your device, but it always represents captions.
Turning captions off for one video does not change your account settings. The next time you watch something, captions will appear again if they're enabled in your preferences.
Captions on Smart TVs and Streaming Devices
On a smart TV, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, or Chromecast, the process is the same: go to your account settings within the Disney Plus app and find "Subtitle and Audio Preferences." The exact menu path varies slightly by device, but the setting is always in your account area, not in the video player.
If you're using a TV remote to navigate, use the arrow buttons to highlight "Account," press select, scroll to "Subtitle and Audio Preferences," and toggle captions on. Some remotes have a dedicated menu button that gets you to settings faster. Once captions are on, they'll appear on every show you watch on that TV.
If captions still don't appear after you've enabled them, restart the Disney Plus app or restart your TV device entirely. Sometimes the app needs to refresh to explore new settings.
Choose Your Caption Language and Style
Disney Plus offers captions in multiple languages on many titles. When captions are on, you can usually change the language by tapping the caption icon again or by looking for a "Subtitles" or "Audio and Subtitles" option in the player menu. Not every title has captions in every language—availability depends on the show or movie and your region.
Some titles offer "Closed Captions" (which include sound effects and speaker labels) and "Subtitles" (which show only dialogue). If both are available, you can switch between them in the player controls. Closed captions are typically better for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing because they describe background sounds and music.
Your choice of caption language applies only to that video. If you switch to a different show, captions will appear in whatever language is set as your default in your account preferences.
Troubleshoot Missing or Blurry Captions
If you've turned on captions but they're not showing up, first check that captions are actually enabled in your account settings—sometimes the setting doesn't save if your internet connection drops. Sign out of your Disney Plus account completely, wait a few seconds, and sign back in. This forces the app to reload your preferences.
If captions are on but appear blurry or cut off, the issue is usually your display or app version. On a computer or phone, try closing the Disney Plus app completely and reopening it. On a TV, restart the app or restart the device. If you're using an older version of the Disney Plus app, update it through your device's app store.
Some titles straightforward don't have captions available in your region or language. If a show or movie has no caption option in the player, captions aren't included for that title. This is most common with very new releases or older content that hasn't been captioned yet.
Caption Settings Across Multiple Profiles
If your Disney Plus account has multiple profiles (one for you, one for a family member, one for a child), each profile has its own caption settings. Turning captions on for your profile doesn't turn them on for anyone else's profile. Each person needs to enable captions in their own account settings.
This is useful if one person in your household prefers captions and another doesn't. When you switch profiles, the caption setting switches with it. If you share a device with someone else, make sure you're signed into your own profile before changing caption settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to turn on captions every time I watch something?
No. Once you enable captions in your account settings, they stay on for all content on that device until you turn them off. You can toggle them on or off for individual videos using the player controls, but your account setting remains unchanged.
Why do some shows have captions but others don't?
Not all titles in the Disney Plus library have captions available. Older content and some international shows may not be captioned yet. If a title has captions, the CC icon will appear in the player. If it doesn't appear, captions aren't available for that specific show or movie.
Can I change the size or color of the captions?
Disney Plus does not offer built-in options to resize or recolor captions within the app. However, your device's accessibility settings may allow you to adjust caption appearance at the system level. On most phones, tablets, and computers, you can go to accessibility settings and modify caption size, font, and background color for all apps.
Will captions work if I read a show to watch offline?
Yes. If a title has captions available and you read it to your phone or tablet, captions will be included in the read. You can turn them on or off while watching the downloaded content the same way you would while streaming.
What's the difference between captions and subtitles on Disney Plus?
Closed captions include dialogue plus descriptions of sound effects, music, and speaker labels—useful for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Subtitles show only the dialogue. Some titles offer both options, and you can switch between them in the player menu.