Enable Closed Captions in Your Firestick Settings
Closed captions on Firestick are turned on through the Accessibility menu in your device settings. Open the Settings app on your Firestick home screen, scroll down to Accessibility, then select Captions. Toggle the switch to On. This setting applies to most apps and content on your device, though some apps have their own caption controls you may need to adjust separately.
The steps are the same whether you use a Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube, or Fire TV Edition television. Once you enable captions in Accessibility settings, they will remain on until you turn them off again. You do not need to repeat this process for each app or each time you watch something.
Key Takeaways
- Turn on captions by going to Settings > Accessibility > Captions and toggling the switch to On.
- Some apps like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ have their own caption settings that override the device-level setting, so you may need to adjust captions within the app itself.
- Caption style options (text size, color, background) can be customized in the Accessibility menu under Captions.
- Live television and some streaming apps may not support captions even when the device setting is enabled.
Customize Caption Appearance on Your Device
After you turn on captions, you can change how they look. In the Accessibility menu under Captions, select Captions Style. From here you can adjust text size, font, text color, background color, and background opacity. These changes affect captions across all apps that use the device-level caption setting.
If captions appear too small or hard to read, increasing the text size is usually the first adjustment to make. If the background is too dark or too light, you can change the opacity so captions are easier to see against the video content behind them. Test your changes by playing a video to see how they look in real playback.
Turn On Captions Within Individual Apps
Many streaming apps have their own caption settings that work separately from your Firestick device settings. Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and YouTube all let you turn captions on or off within the app itself. When you play a video in these apps, look for a menu icon (usually three dots or lines) and select Captions or Subtitles from the options.
If captions are on in your Firestick settings but not appearing in a specific app, check that app's caption menu. Some apps default to captions off, so you need to enable them each time you watch, while others remember your choice. If an app does not have a caption option in its menu, that app may not support captions at all.
Troubleshoot Captions That Are Not Showing
If you have turned on captions in Settings but they are not appearing, first check whether the app itself has captions disabled. Open the video, look for the menu button (three dots or lines), and look for a Captions or CC option. Turn it on there. If the app does not have a captions menu, the content may not have captions available.
Live television channels often do not support captions even when the device setting is on. Recorded shows and on-demand content are more likely to have captions. If captions work in one app but not another, the problem is usually with that specific app or content, not your Firestick. Restart the app or restart your Firestick device if captions suddenly stop working after they were working before.
Check Whether Your Content Has Captions Available
Not all videos and shows have captions. Movies and shows produced by major studios usually have captions, but user-uploaded content, older films, and some independent productions may not. Before assuming your Firestick is not working, check whether the specific video you are watching has captions at all.
On Netflix and Prime Video, you can see whether a show or movie has captions before you play it by looking at the details page. A CC icon means captions are available. On YouTube, look for the CC button in the video player controls. If no captions are available for a video, you cannot turn them on no matter what your device settings are.
Use Captions With Live TV and Streaming Services
If you watch live television through an app like Sling TV, YouTube TV, or Hulu Live, captions may or may not be available depending on the channel and broadcast. Major networks usually include captions on live programming, but smaller channels and specialty networks often do not. The captions that are broadcast are usually controlled by the network, not by your Firestick settings.
For on-demand content through these services, captions are more consistently available. If you need captions for live TV, check the app's settings to see whether captions are supported for that specific channel. Some services let you turn captions on or off in the player controls, while others do not offer the option at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are captions not showing up even though I turned them on?
The video or channel may not have captions available. Check the app's own caption menu to make sure captions are enabled there as well, since many apps have separate controls. If captions work in other apps but not this one, the content itself may not support captions.
Can I make captions bigger or change their color?
Yes. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Captions > Captions Style. You can adjust text size, font, text color, background color, and background opacity. These changes explore to all apps that use the device-level caption setting, though some apps may override these choices with their own styling.
Do captions work on all Firestick devices?
Captions work on all Firestick models, including Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, and Fire TV Edition televisions. The steps to turn them on are the same across all devices. The availability of captions depends on whether the app and content support them, not on which Firestick model you own.
Will turning on captions slow down my Firestick?
No. Enabling captions in your Accessibility settings does not affect your Firestick's performance or speed. It only changes how videos are displayed. You can turn captions on and off without any impact on how your device runs.
What if an app does not have a captions option in its menu?
That app may not support captions. Check the app's help section or contact the app's support team to confirm. Some smaller or older apps do not include caption functionality even if your Firestick device setting is on.