Turn on captions in three steps
Open Disney Plus and start playing any show or movie. While the video is playing, look for the speech bubble icon in the bottom right corner of the player — that is the captions button. Click or tap it once to turn captions on. Click it again to turn them off. The captions will appear at the bottom of the screen in white text on a dark background.
On some devices, you may see a menu with caption options instead of an when ready toggle. If that happens, select English (or your preferred language) from the list. The captions will turn on when ready.
If you do not see a speech bubble icon, move your mouse or tap the screen to reveal the player controls — they disappear after a few seconds of inactivity.
Key Takeaways
- The captions button is a speech bubble icon in the bottom right of the video player and works on all Disney Plus devices.
- You can turn captions on or off at any time during playback without restarting the video.
- Disney Plus offers captions in multiple languages, and you can switch between them from the same menu.
- If you want captions on by default for every show you watch, you can change your account settings in your profile preferences.
Finding captions on different devices
The speech bubble icon appears in the same spot on most devices — bottom right of the player. On phones and tablets, you may need to tap the screen first to make the player controls visible. On smart TVs, use your remote to navigate to the icon and press select.
If you are using a web browser on a computer, the icon is easiest to find. Move your mouse over the video and wait for the controls to appear along the bottom. The speech bubble is on the right side, next to the volume and fullscreen buttons.
On Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, and Google Chromecast, the process is the same: tap or click the speech bubble once the player controls are visible. If the controls disappear before you reach the icon, tap or click the center of the screen again to bring them back.
Switching between caption languages
When you click the speech bubble icon, Disney Plus shows you all available caption languages for that title. Some shows and movies have captions in English, Spanish, French, and other languages. Select whichever language you want, and the captions will switch when ready.
The language you choose applies only to that viewing session. If you watch a different show next, you can pick a different caption language, or the system will remember your last choice if you do not change it.
Not every title has captions in every language. If a language is grayed out or missing, that means Disney Plus does not have captions in that language for that particular show or movie.
Set captions to turn on automatically
If you want captions on every time you watch, you can change your account settings so they turn on by default. On a computer or phone, go to your profile icon in the top right corner and select Account. Look for Playback Settings and choose On under the captions section.
Once you turn on this setting, captions will appear automatically when you start any show or movie. You can still turn them off with the speech bubble icon if you do not want them for a particular video.
This setting applies to your entire account, so if other people use your Disney Plus profile, they will also see captions by default. If you share your account with family members who prefer different settings, each person should use their own profile so their preferences stay separate.
Captions versus subtitles on Disney Plus
Captions include all dialogue plus sound effects and music cues — useful if you are deaf or hard of hearing, or if you are watching in a noisy environment. Subtitles show only the dialogue translated into another language. Disney Plus uses the term "captions" for both, but the icon gives you access to both options depending on what the title offers.
When you click the speech bubble, look at the language names. If it says "English" or "Spanish," that is usually subtitles (translation). If it says "English [CC]" with the letters CC, that means closed captions with sound descriptions included. Not all titles have the CC version available.
What to do if captions are not showing
If you clicked the speech bubble but no text appears on the screen, first check that you actually selected a language — sometimes the menu closes without saving your choice. Click the speech bubble again and select a language, then wait a few seconds for the captions to load.
If captions still do not appear, try pausing the video and playing it again. Sometimes captions load a moment after playback starts. If that does not work, close the video completely and start it again from the beginning.
On older devices or slower internet connections, captions can take a few seconds to sync with the audio. If the text appears but is out of sync, pausing for 10 seconds and then playing again usually fixes it. If the problem continues, restart the Disney Plus app or refresh your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
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, some devices have accessibility settings that let you change caption appearance system-wide. On iPhones and iPads, go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles & Captioning. On Android phones, go to Settings > Accessibility > Captions. These settings affect captions across all apps on your device.
Why are captions missing for some shows?
Not all Disney Plus titles have captions available yet. Older content and some international shows may not have been captioned. If a show you want to watch does not have captions, you can contact Disney Plus support to request them, though there is no may provide they will be added.
Do captions work on all Disney Plus plans?
Yes, captions are available on every Disney Plus subscription tier — Basic, Standard, and Premium. The feature does not cost extra and works the same way regardless of which plan you have.
Can I use captions on multiple devices at once?
Your caption preferences are tied to your profile, not your device. If you turn on captions in your account settings, they will be on by default when you log in on any device. You can still turn them off for individual videos if you want.
What languages have captions on Disney Plus?
The available languages vary by title. Most popular shows and movies have English, Spanish, and French captions. Some titles also have German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, and other languages. Check the captions menu while playing a specific show to see what languages are available for that title.