Turn on captions in your Disney Plus account settings
Closed captions on Disney Plus are controlled through your account settings, not through individual titles. Once you turn them on, captions will appear by default on every show and movie you watch — though you can still turn them off for a single title if you choose.
The steps differ slightly depending on whether you are using a web browser, a phone or tablet, or a streaming device like Roku or Fire TV. The web browser method is the fastest: log into your Disney Plus account, click your profile icon in the top right, select Account, then scroll down to Playback Settings and toggle Captions to on.
On a phone or tablet running the Disney Plus app, tap the profile icon at the bottom right, go to Account, then Playback Settings, and turn on Captions. The setting takes effect when ready across all your devices.
Key Takeaways
- Captions are turned on through your account settings, not through individual titles, and the change applies to all devices linked to your account.
- On a web browser, go to your profile icon, select Account, find Playback Settings, and toggle Captions on.
- On the Disney Plus app for phones and tablets, tap your profile icon, go to Account, then Playback Settings, and turn on Captions.
- You can still turn captions off for a single show or movie while watching, even if they are on by default in your settings.
Turning captions on and off while you are watching
Even if captions are turned on in your account settings, you may want to turn them off for a particular show. While a title is playing, look for the captions icon — usually a rectangle with lines inside it or labeled "CC" — in the player controls at the bottom of the screen.
On a web browser or phone, tap or click that icon to toggle captions on and off. On a streaming device like Roku, Fire TV, or Apple TV, use your remote to highlight the captions button in the player menu. The change applies only to that one title and does not affect your account settings.
Captions on different streaming devices
Disney Plus works on many devices, and the captions button location varies slightly. On Roku and Fire TV, press the options button on your remote while a show is playing, then look for the captions or CC option in the menu that appears. On Apple TV, swipe down from the top of the screen while watching to reveal the player controls, then tap the captions icon.
On Samsung Smart TVs with the Disney Plus app built in, the captions button is in the player menu at the bottom of the screen — swipe up or press the menu button on your remote to see it. On Xbox or PlayStation, the captions icon appears in the standard player controls when you move your controller or press a button on your remote.
If you cannot find the captions button on your device, check that your account settings have captions turned on first. If they do, the button should appear in the player controls once you start watching. If it still does not show up, restart the Disney Plus app or restart your device.
What caption options are available
Disney Plus offers captions in English and in the language of your account region. The captions are burned-in subtitles provided by Disney, not user-generated, so they are consistent across all titles and devices. You cannot change the text size, color, or font through Disney Plus settings — those options are not built into the platform.
If you need larger or customized captions, check your device's accessibility settings instead. Most phones, tablets, and streaming devices have system-level caption settings that override the app's defaults. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles & Captioning and turn on Closed Captions + SDH to see captions in larger text or a custom style across all apps.
Captions may not be available on all titles
Most Disney Plus originals and major studio releases include captions, but some older films or international content may not have them. If you turn on captions and they do not appear on a specific title, that show or movie may not have captions available in your region.
You can check before you start watching by looking at the title's details page — some listings note whether captions are available, though not all do. If captions are important for a title you want to watch, try starting it and checking the player controls. If no captions button appears after 10 seconds, captions are likely not available for that title.
Troubleshooting captions that are not working
If you have turned on captions in your account settings but they are not appearing when you watch, start by checking that the setting actually saved. Log back into your account settings and confirm that Captions is still toggled on — sometimes the change does not stick if your internet connection dropped during the save.
If the setting is on but captions still do not show, try signing out of the Disney Plus app completely and signing back in. Close the app entirely (not just minimizing it) and reopen it, then start a new title. If captions still do not appear, restart your device — this clears the app's cache and often fixes display issues.
On a streaming device, you may also need to check that your device's system language is set correctly. Disney Plus captions are tied to your account region and device language, so if your Roku or Fire TV is set to a different language than your Disney Plus account, captions may not display properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do captions work on all Disney Plus plans?
Yes. Captions are available on all Disney Plus subscription tiers, including the ad-supported plan. The captions feature is not tied to your plan level — only to whether your account has captions turned on in settings.
Can I use captions on multiple devices at the same time?
Yes. Your captions setting is tied to your account, not to a single device. If you turn on captions in your account settings, they will be on by default on every device you use to watch Disney Plus — your phone, tablet, TV, computer, or streaming device.
What if I want captions in a different language?
Disney Plus captions are available in the language of your account region. You cannot change the caption language through the app settings. If you need captions in a different language, you would need to change your account region, which also changes the entire app language and available content library.
Will turning on captions slow down my streaming?
No. Captions are part of the video file and do not require extra bandwidth or processing power. Turning them on or off has no effect on streaming speed or video quality.
Can I turn off captions for just one profile on my account?
No. The captions setting applies to your entire account, not to individual profiles. If you have multiple profiles on one Disney Plus account, all of them will have captions on or off together. You can turn captions off for a single title while watching, but not for a single profile permanently.