How to Watch Subtitles on Netflix

If you’re watching a show or movie on the Netflix streaming service, you can turn on subtitles with just a few clicks. Most Netflix-enabled devices support subtitles. However, you should note that not all movies and shows have subtitles available, and not all subtitles are in English.

Table of Contents

PC and Mac

Turn on the video you want to add subtitles to. You can add subtitles to the videos you are watching through a web browser.

Hover the mouse while watching the video. You will see the video playback driver.

Click the Conversation button. This button has a voice bubble icon. If you don’t see this option, the video you’re watching doesn’t have subtitles.

Use the drop-down menu to select the desired subtitle. Available subtitles for each content will vary. The subtitles you choose will be displayed immediately.

If you can’t see the selected subtitles, try disabling the web browser extensions too. Refer to how to turn off browser extensions on the internet. ^{[1] X Research Source}
Many users report errors on the Internet Explorer browser and the Windows Netflix app. If you use these two browsers to watch Netflix and can’t see the subtitles, try using another browser. ^{[2] X Research Source}

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

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Proceed to watch the video on the Netflix app. You can open subtitles with any supported video.

Touch the screen to display the video driver. You need to do this while the video is still playing.

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Tap the Conversations button in the upper-right corner of the screen. This button looks like a conversation bubble. You will see audio and subtitle options.

Select the “Subtitles” page if needed. You will see a list of available subtitles. iPad will display both options at the same time.

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Touch the subtitle you want to use and select “OK” . Subtitles will load immediately and the video will be played back from the beginning.

Apple TV

Update Apple TV to the latest version. If you have an Apple TV 2 or 3, you’ll need to update to version 5 or later. If using Apple TV 4, you need tvOS 9.0 or later.

Open the subtitles menu when watching a video on Netflix. How to do it on each Apple TV line is different:

Apple TV 2 and 3 – Press and hold the center key on the remote.
Apple TV 4 – Swipe down on the touch panel on the remote.

Select subtitles. Use the controls to highlight the subtitle you want to select. Press the Select button on the remote to turn on the subtitles.

Chromecast

Open the Netflix app on the Chromecast device remote. You’ll select subtitles using the Chromecast remote. Be it an Android or iOS device.

Tap the Chromecast device’s screen to display the video driver. You need to open the video on the Netflix app.

Tap the Conversation button. You’ll see this button in the upper-right corner of the screen, with a speech bubble icon.

Tap the “Subtitles” page and then select the subtitles you want. Press the “OK” key and subtitles will appear on the video you are watching.

Roku

Select the video you want to watch. Don’t turn on the video in a hurry because you need to select the subtitles in the Description screen.

If you’re using a Roku 3, you can access subtitle options during the video playback by pressing the Down key on the remote.

Select “Audio & Subtitles”. You’ll see this option in the video description page.

Select the subtitle you want to use. Available subtitles added by the video creator.

Press “Back” to return to the description screen. The selected subtitle will be saved.

Start watching videos. The newly selected subtitle will be displayed on the screen.

Smart TVs and Blu-ray Players

Open the Netflix app. Many smart TVs and Blu-ray players have the Netflix app. The process of enabling subtitles on each device will be different, some older devices may not support subtitles.

Select the video you want to watch. You will be taken to the video description page.

Select “Audio & Subtitles” with the remote. This option can be the speech bubble icon or the text “Audio & Subtitles”. If you don’t see this button, your device doesn’t support subtitles.

You can open this menu by pressing the Down key on the remote while watching a video.

Select the subtitle you want to watch. Subtitles are displayed as soon as you turn on the video.

Return to the description page and start playing the video. The subtitle you just selected will be displayed immediately.

If you can’t perform the above steps, your device does not support subtitles on Netflix.

PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4

Turn on the video you want to see subtitles on. Both PS3 and PS4 support subtitles as long as what you’re watching has them available. The process is the same on both devices.

Press the Down key on the remote. This is to open the Audio & Subtitles menu.

Highlight “Audio & Subtitles” and press the X button. Then you can select subtitles.

Select the subtitle you want. Subtitles will appear as soon as you select the language. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Wii

Start Netflix and select the video you want to watch. Don’t open the video quickly, just go to the description page.

Use the Wii remote to select the Talk button. This button looks like a conversation bubble, located on the right side of the screen. If you don’t see this button, the video doesn’t support subtitles.

Child Profile cannot change subtitles and audio on Wii.

Select the subtitle you want to open. Use the Wii remote to select the language of the subtitles.

Start playing video. The selected subtitle will appear immediately.

Wii U

Turn on the video on the Netflix channel. You can turn on subtitles while a video is playing on the Wii U.

Select the Conversation button on the GamePad screen. This is the operation to open the subtitle option on the GamePad screen. If you don’t see this option, the video you’re watching doesn’t have subtitles.

Select the subtitle you want to use. Tap or use the GamePad control to select the subtitles you want to view.

Turn the video back on. The selected subtitle will appear on the screen.

Xbox 360 and Xbox One

Open the video you want to add subtitles to. Both Xbox One and Xbox 360 support subtitles as long as the video you watch has them available. The process is the same on both devices.

Press the Down key on the remote while watching a video. The “Audio & Subtitles” option will appear.

Select “Audio & Subtitles” and press the A button. You can now select the subtitles as desired.

Select subtitles. Subtitles will appear as soon as you select them.

Disable closed subtitles on the system if the subtitles cannot be turned off. If this function is enabled system-wide, subtitles will appear on Netflix as soon as you have disabled the video’s subtitles.

Xbox 360 – Press the Guide key on the remote and open the “settings” menu. Select “System” and select “Conspe Settings”. Select “Display” and select “Closed Captioning”. Select “Off” to disable closed captioning system-wide. You can now watch videos without subtitles.
Xbox One – Press the Guide key on the remote and open the “settings” menu. Select “Closed Captioning” and select “Off”. Now videos on Netflix will no longer have subtitles.

Android

Turn on the video on the Netflix app. As long as your device supports the Netflix app, you’ll be able to watch subtitles.

Touch the screen while the video is on. You should see the video driver appear.

Tap the Conversation button to open subtitle options. The Conversation button is shaped like a speech bubble, located in the top right corner of the screen.

If you do not see this button, the video you are watching does not have subtitles.

Tap the “Subtitles” page and select the subtitles you want to view. Once selected, press “OK”. Subtitles will be displayed on the video.

Advice

After adding the subtitles, you need to watch the video for about 5 minutes before the new settings become the default settings. The process of disabling subtitles is similar.
Closed captioning is not available on the older Roku series, but is available on the Roku 2 HD/XD/XS, Roku 3, Roku Streaming Stick, and Roku LT. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Newly added shows and movies may not have subtitles, you may have to wait about 30 days to see them. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
All shows and movies on Netflix (US) will offer some type of closed captioning. After the National Association of the Deaf sued Netflix for not providing subtitles, the company agreed to subtitle all shows and feature films as of 2014. ^{[5] X Research Source}

Steps