Turn subtitles on or off in three steps
To change subtitles on Disney Plus, open any video, look for the speech bubble icon in the bottom right corner of the player, and select your subtitle language or turn them off. The icon appears on all devices—phones, tablets, computers, and streaming boxes. The menu stays open until you pick a language or close it, so you can switch mid-show without restarting.
Disney Plus stores your subtitle choice for that show or movie, but not across your whole account. If you watch another title, subtitles return to your default setting. This means you may need to turn them on again for the next show, depending on what your account default is set to.
Key Takeaways
- The subtitle button is a speech bubble icon in the bottom right of the video player on all devices.
- Disney Plus offers subtitles in multiple languages for most titles, and you can switch languages without stopping the video.
- Your subtitle choice applies only to that specific title; other shows and movies use your account default setting.
- If subtitles do not appear even after you select them, refresh the page or restart the app and try again.
Finding the subtitle button on different devices
On computers and tablets, move your mouse or tap the video to reveal the player controls. The speech bubble icon sits in the bottom right corner, next to the volume and fullscreen buttons. On phones, tap the screen once to show the controls, then look for the speech bubble in the same spot.
On streaming devices like Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire Stick, use your remote to navigate to the speech bubble icon. The button layout is identical across all platforms, so once you know where to look on one device, you will find it in the same place on others.
Selecting a subtitle language
Click or tap the speech bubble icon and a menu appears showing all available subtitle languages for that title. Most Disney Plus shows and movies offer English, Spanish, French, and several other languages. Some titles have fewer options, especially international content that may only have subtitles in one or two languages.
Select the language you want by clicking or tapping its name. The subtitles appear on screen within a second or two. If you want to turn subtitles off entirely, look for an option labeled "Off" or "None" at the top or bottom of the menu, depending on your device.
Why subtitles might not show up
If you select a subtitle language but no text appears on screen, the most common cause is a delay in loading. Wait a few seconds—sometimes the subtitles take a moment to sync with the video. If they still do not appear, pause the video, close the subtitle menu, and open it again to refresh.
On phones and tablets, subtitles occasionally fail to load if the app needs an update. Check your device's app store to see if a newer version of Disney Plus is available. On computers, try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache. If the problem persists on one title but not others, that specific show or movie may have a technical issue on Disney Plus's end, and waiting a few hours often resolves it.
Changing your account default for subtitles
Disney Plus lets you set a default subtitle preference in your account settings. On a computer or tablet, click your profile icon in the top right corner, select "Account," then find "Playback Settings." Look for the subtitle option and choose your preferred language or "Off."
On phones and streaming devices, the process is similar: go to your profile, select settings or account, and look for playback or subtitle preferences. Once you set a default, new titles you watch will start with that language selected—though you can still change it for any individual show or movie using the speech bubble icon.
Subtitle options for different content types
Disney Plus offers subtitles for most movies and series, but availability varies. Original Disney Plus shows, Marvel content, and Star Wars titles typically have subtitles in 5 to 10 languages. Older films or licensed content from other studios may have fewer options, sometimes only English.
Some titles also offer closed captions (labeled "CC" or "English [CC]"), which include descriptions of sounds and music in addition to dialogue. Closed captions are especially useful if you are deaf or hard of hearing, or if you want to catch background sounds that matter to the story. Select the closed caption option from the same speech bubble menu where you choose regular subtitles.
Troubleshooting subtitle problems
If subtitles are cut off at the bottom of the screen or overlap with the video, your device may have a display scaling issue. On computers, try adjusting your browser zoom level—press Ctrl and minus (or Cmd and minus on Mac) to zoom out slightly. On TVs and streaming boxes, check your TV's picture settings to make sure the image is not zoomed in too far.
If subtitles appear in the wrong language even after you select a different one, sign out of your Disney Plus account completely and sign back in. This clears the app's memory and forces it to load your current settings. On phones and tablets, you may need to close the app entirely and reopen it. On computers, close your browser tab and start a new session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use subtitles in a language that is not my account language?
Yes. Your account language and your subtitle language are separate settings. You can watch in English but display subtitles in Spanish, French, or any other language the title offers. Switch subtitle languages anytime using the speech bubble icon, even mid-episode.
Do subtitles sync with the video if I pause and resume?
Yes. Subtitles stay in sync whether you pause, rewind, or jump forward. If you notice the text is out of sync with the dialogue, refresh the page or restart the app. This is rare, but it can happen on slower internet connections.
Why does one show have subtitles but another does not?
Not all Disney Plus titles have subtitles available. Older licensed content, some international films, and a small number of shows may lack subtitle options. If a title has no subtitles, the speech bubble icon will not appear or will show only "Off" as an option.
Can I change subtitle size or color?
Disney Plus does not offer built-in controls for subtitle appearance. However, your device's accessibility settings may let you adjust text size and color. On computers, check your browser's accessibility options. On phones, tablets, and streaming devices, look in your device settings under accessibility or display options.
Will my subtitle choice carry over if I watch on a different device?
No. Each device remembers its own subtitle settings for individual titles, but the settings do not sync across devices. If you watch a show on your phone with Spanish subtitles, then switch to your TV, you will need to select Spanish again on the TV.