Turn on closed captions in your Paramount Plus account settings
Closed captions on Paramount Plus are controlled through your account settings, not through individual show or movie pages. Once you turn them on, they will appear by default on everything you watch—though you can still turn them off for a single video if you want to.
The steps differ slightly depending on whether you are watching on a web browser, phone, tablet, or TV app. All of them lead to the same place: your account preferences.
Key Takeaways
- Closed captions on Paramount Plus are turned on through your account settings, not on the video player itself.
- On a web browser, go to your profile icon, select Settings, then Accessibility, and toggle captions on.
- On mobile apps and TV apps, the process is the same: Settings > Accessibility > toggle captions on.
- Once enabled, captions will appear on all content by default, but you can still disable them for individual videos using the player controls.
- If captions do not appear even after enabling them, check that the show or movie actually has captions available—not all content is captioned.
How to enable captions on a web browser
Open Paramount Plus in your web browser and log into your account. Look for your profile icon or avatar in the top right corner of the screen and click it.
A dropdown menu will appear. Select Settings from the list. Once you are in Settings, look for the Accessibility section. Click on it, and you will see a toggle switch next to "Captions." Turn it on. The change takes effect when ready.
Close the Settings page and start playing any show or movie. Captions should now appear at the bottom of the video by default.
How to enable captions on the Paramount Plus mobile app
Open the Paramount Plus app on your phone or tablet and log in if you are not already. Tap the profile icon, which is usually in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Tap Settings. Look for Accessibility and tap it. You will see the captions toggle. Turn it on. Return to the home screen and start playing content—captions will now appear by default.
On some older versions of the app, the Settings menu may be in a different location. If you cannot find it in the profile menu, look for a gear icon or menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom or top of the screen.
How to enable captions on Paramount Plus TV apps
The process on TV apps (Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, Samsung TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and others) is the same, though navigation uses your remote. Open the app and log in. Navigate to your profile icon or account menu using your remote's arrow buttons.
Select Settings and then Accessibility. Highlight the captions toggle and press the select button on your remote to turn it on. Exit Settings and play any show or movie—captions will appear.
If you have trouble finding the Settings menu on your specific TV app, check the Paramount Plus help section for your device type, as the menu layout varies slightly between platforms.
Turn captions on or off for a single video
Even after you enable captions in your account settings, you can turn them off for one video without changing your overall settings. While a show or movie is playing, look for the closed caption icon on the video player—it usually looks like a rectangle with lines inside it or the letters "CC."
Click or tap that icon to toggle captions on and off for that video only. Your account setting remains unchanged, so captions will still appear on the next thing you watch.
On some devices, you may need to click a "Settings" or "Options" button on the player first to see the caption controls. If you do not see a caption icon, the video may not have captions available.
What to do if captions are not appearing
If you have turned on captions in your settings but they still do not show up, the most common reason is that the show or movie does not have captions available. Paramount Plus does not caption all of its content, especially older titles or exclusive originals released early in the service's history.
Check a different show or movie to see if captions appear there. If they do, the first title straightforward does not have them. If captions do not appear on any content, try logging out of your account and logging back in. Sometimes the settings do not sync when ready.
If captions still do not work after logging back in, try clearing your browser cache (if you are on the web) or uninstalling and reinstalling the app (on mobile or TV). These steps reset the app's connection to your account settings.
Captions versus subtitles on Paramount Plus
Closed captions include not only dialogue but also descriptions of sounds—like "[door slams]" or "[music playing]"—which makes them useful for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Subtitles show only the dialogue translated into another language.
When you turn on captions in Paramount Plus settings, you are enabling closed captions in English. If you want subtitles in another language, you will need to look for a separate language or subtitle option on the video player itself, which is different from the account-level caption setting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn captions on for just one profile in my household?
Yes. Each profile on a Paramount Plus account has its own settings. Log into the profile you want to change, go to Settings > Accessibility, and toggle captions on or off for that profile only. Other profiles on the same account will not be affected.
Why do some shows have captions and others do not?
Paramount Plus captions all new originals and most licensed content, but older shows and movies may not be captioned. The service has been adding captions to back catalog titles over time, so a show without captions today may have them later.
Do captions work on all Paramount Plus plans?
Yes. Closed captions are available on all Paramount Plus subscription tiers, including the ad-supported plan. There is no plan that excludes captions.
Can I change the size or color of the captions?
Paramount Plus does not offer caption customization within the app itself. However, your device may have system-level caption settings. On most phones, tablets, and TVs, you can adjust caption size, font, and color through the device's accessibility settings, and Paramount Plus will respect those choices.
What if captions are out of sync with the dialogue?
Sync issues are rare but can happen. Try pausing the video, waiting a few seconds, and playing again. If the problem continues, try a different video to see if it is specific to that title. If captions are out of sync on multiple videos, restart the app or your device.