Turn off closed captions in three steps
To turn off closed captions on Disney Plus, open the video you are watching, tap or click the settings icon (usually three dots or a gear symbol) in the bottom right corner of the player, select Subtitles and Captions, and choose Off. The captions disappear when ready. If you want to turn them back on later, follow the same steps and pick a language instead of Off.
The exact location of the settings button varies slightly depending on whether you are using a phone, tablet, computer, or streaming device, but the menu structure is the same across all platforms. Once you find the settings icon, the rest of the process takes about five seconds.
Key Takeaways
- The settings icon in the video player is always in the bottom right corner, though it may look like three dots, a gear, or a menu symbol depending on your device.
- Closed captions turn off when ready when you select Off from the Subtitles and Captions menu — you do not have to restart the video.
- Your choice to turn captions off applies only to that single video; Disney Plus does not save a default setting across all videos.
- If captions are stuck on or the settings menu does not appear, try closing and reopening the app or refreshing the web page.
Where to find the settings icon on different devices
On a phone or tablet, tap the screen while a video is playing to reveal the player controls. The settings icon appears in the bottom right corner next to the volume and full-screen buttons. On a computer or web browser, hover your mouse over the video to show the controls, and the settings icon is again in the bottom right. On a streaming device like Roku, Apple TV, or Fire Stick, use your remote to navigate to the settings icon once the video is playing.
If you do not see the controls, the video may be in full-screen mode or the controls may have hidden after a few seconds of inactivity. Tap or move your mouse to wake them up. On mobile devices, a single tap usually brings the controls back; on computers, moving the mouse over the video does the same.
What the Subtitles and Captions menu shows you
When you open the Subtitles and Captions menu, you will see a list of languages in which captions are available for that video, plus an Off option at the top or bottom of the list. The languages shown depend on what Disney Plus has provided for that specific title — not all shows and movies have captions in every language. English captions are almost always available.
If you select a language, captions in that language appear within a second or two. If you select Off, any captions currently on screen disappear. You can switch between languages or turn captions off and on as many times as you want without restarting the video or losing your place.
Captions turn off for one video at a time, not your whole account
Disney Plus does not have a master setting to turn off captions for all videos at once. Each time you start a new show or movie, captions will be in whatever state they were in when you last watched something — usually off if you turned them off, or on in the default language if you did not change them. This means you may need to turn captions off again for your next video.
If you find yourself turning captions off repeatedly, the quickest workaround is to turn them off on your first video of the day and they will likely stay off for subsequent videos in that session. However, if you close the app or browser and come back later, you may need to turn them off again.
Troubleshooting when captions will not turn off
If the settings menu does not appear when you tap or click the video, try closing the Disney Plus app completely and opening it again. On a phone or tablet, swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or use the app switcher) to close the app fully, then reopen it. On a computer, close the browser tab or window and start fresh. On a streaming device, press the home button on your remote, navigate back to Disney Plus, and start the video again.
If captions are still stuck on after restarting, try clearing the app's cache. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, find Disney Plus, and tap Offload App (this removes the app but keeps your login). Then reinstall it from the App Store. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Disney Plus > Storage > Clear Cache. On a computer, try a different browser or use the Disney Plus app instead of the website, or vice versa.
Why captions might be on by default
Disney Plus turns captions on automatically in a few situations. If you are using a device where captions were on during your last viewing session, they will be on again when you start a new video. If you are watching on a device set to a language other than English, Disney Plus may default to captions in that language. Some devices also have system-level accessibility settings that force captions on across all apps.
To check whether your device itself is forcing captions on, look in your device's main settings (not the Disney Plus app settings). On iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles & Captioning and make sure Closed Captions + SDH is toggled off. On Android, go to Settings > Accessibility > Captions and turn off the toggle. On a computer, check your browser's accessibility settings or your operating system's display settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to turn off captions every time I watch something?
Not necessarily. If you turn captions off on one video and then when ready start another video in the same session, captions usually stay off. However, if you close the app or browser and come back later, you may need to turn them off again. Disney Plus does not save a permanent default setting across your account.
Can I turn off captions for a specific show but keep them on for others?
No. You control captions video by video, not by show or movie. Each time you start a new title, you can choose whether to have captions on or off for that particular video. There is no way to set different rules for different shows.
What if the settings icon is not where I expect it to be?
Try tapping or clicking the video itself to reveal the player controls if they are hidden. On mobile, tap the center of the screen. On a computer, move your mouse over the video. If the controls still do not appear, restart the app or refresh the page. The settings icon should then be visible in the bottom right corner of the player.
Will turning off captions affect other people watching on my account?
No. Each profile on a Disney Plus account has its own viewing history and settings. If you turn off captions on your profile, it does not affect captions on anyone else's profile. However, if two people are watching on the same profile at different times, they will see the same caption settings.
Can I choose a different caption language instead of turning them off completely?
Yes. In the Subtitles and Captions menu, select any language that appears in the list. English captions are available for nearly all content. Other languages depend on what Disney Plus has provided for that specific title. You can switch languages as often as you want without restarting the video.