Turn on closed captions in your Peacock account settings
Closed captions on Peacock are controlled through your account settings, not through individual show or movie pages. Once you turn them on, captions 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're watching on a web browser, phone, tablet, or streaming device. All of them start in the same place: your account menu.
Key Takeaways
- Closed captions on Peacock are turned on through your account settings, not through the video player itself.
- On web browsers and mobile apps, go to your profile icon, select Settings, then toggle Closed Captions to On.
- On streaming devices like Roku or Apple TV, the process is the same but the menu layout may look slightly different.
- Once captions are enabled in settings, they will appear automatically on all videos unless you manually turn them off during playback.
- If captions don't appear even after enabling them, check that your internet connection is stable and try refreshing the app or page.
Enable captions on Peacock through a web browser
Open Peacock in your web browser and sign into your account. Look for your profile icon or account name in the top right corner of the screen and click it.
From the dropdown menu, select Settings. Scroll down until you find the Closed Captions option. Toggle it to the On position. The change saves automatically—you don't need to click a separate save button.
Start playing any show or movie to confirm captions appear. They will show at the bottom of the video player in white text on a dark background by default.
Turn on captions using the Peacock mobile app
Open the Peacock app on your phone or tablet and make sure you're signed in. Tap the profile icon at the bottom right of the screen (on most phones) or in the top right corner (on some tablets).
Select Settings from the menu. Look for Closed Captions and toggle it On. Exit the settings menu by tapping the back arrow or swiping back.
The next time you play a video, captions should appear automatically. If you're watching on a phone in portrait mode, captions may appear smaller than on a larger screen, but they will still be readable.
Enable captions on Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and other streaming devices
The process on streaming devices is nearly identical to the web browser version, but the remote control makes navigation slower. Open Peacock on your device and sign in if prompted.
Use your remote to navigate to your profile icon or account menu—this is usually in the top right corner. Select Settings. Scroll to Closed Captions and toggle it On. Your device will save the change automatically.
If you have trouble finding the Settings menu, check the Peacock help section for your specific device model. Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV all have slightly different menu layouts, but the Closed Captions toggle is always in the same place once you reach Settings.
Adjust caption appearance if they're hard to read
Peacock does not offer built-in options to change caption size, color, or font style the way some other streaming services do. Your options are limited to turning captions on or off entirely.
If captions are too small to read comfortably, try moving closer to your screen or increasing the brightness of your TV or device. On mobile devices, rotating your phone to landscape mode usually makes captions larger. If you're using a web browser, you can zoom in on the page using your browser's zoom controls (usually Ctrl + Plus on Windows or Command + Plus on Mac), which will enlarge the captions along with everything else on the screen.
Troubleshoot captions that don't appear
If you've turned captions on in settings but they still don't show up when you play a video, start by checking your internet connection. A slow or unstable connection can prevent captions from loading properly. Try pausing the video for 10 to 15 seconds to let the captions buffer, then play again.
If that doesn't work, close the Peacock app or browser tab completely and reopen it. Sign back in and try playing a different show or movie—some older content on Peacock may not have captions available, even if captions are turned on in your settings. If captions work on one video but not another, the problem is likely that the second video doesn't have captions encoded.
On streaming devices, try unplugging the device from power for 30 seconds, then plugging it back in. This clears the device's temporary memory and often fixes display issues. After it restarts, open Peacock again and check whether captions appear.
Turn off captions for a single video
Even after you enable captions in your account settings, you can turn them off for any individual video without changing your settings. During playback, look for the closed caption icon (usually labeled "CC" or shown as a speech bubble) in the video player controls.
Click or tap that icon to toggle captions off for that video only. When you start watching something else, captions will be on again by default. This is useful if you're watching with someone who prefers no captions, or if captions are covering important on-screen text or graphics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all shows and movies on Peacock have closed captions?
Most content on Peacock includes captions, but not all of it. Older shows, some live sports events, and certain premium content may not have captions available. If you turn captions on but they don't appear for a specific video, that content likely doesn't have captions encoded.
Will captions appear in languages other than English?
Captions on Peacock are typically available in English only. If a show or movie has audio in another language, the captions will still be in English. Peacock does not currently offer captions in Spanish, French, or other languages.
Can I change the size or color of the captions?
Peacock does not have built-in settings to customize caption appearance. Your only options are to turn captions on or off. If captions are too small, try zooming in on your browser, moving closer to your screen, or rotating your phone to landscape mode.
Why do captions sometimes lag behind the dialogue?
Lag usually happens when your internet connection is slow or unstable. Pause the video for 10 to 15 seconds to let captions load ahead, then resume playing. If lag continues, try closing and reopening the app, or restarting your streaming device.
Do I need a paid Peacock subscription to use closed captions?
No. Closed captions are available on both the free and paid versions of Peacock. The captions setting works the same way regardless of which subscription level you have.