Subtitles are a pretty essential option on any streaming device. Even if you’re not hard of hearing, dialogue can sometimes be hard to understand these days, especially in loud action scenes. Here’s how to enable and disable closed captioning on Roku.
Read more: Roku Buyer’s Guide
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To enable and disable closed captioning on Roku, go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitle Mode from the Roku home screen. Choose from one of the four options that appear.
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How to Subtitle on Roku. to turn off
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Subtitles should be turned off by default. If they’re enabled and you want to return to an unobstructed screen, it’s easy to disable them. To use your Roku remote:
- Press the home button to go to the home screen (if you aren’t already there).
- Select and open the Accessibility menu. There may be a direct subtitle menu on some devices.
- Within Accessibility, click Subtitle mode.
- To elect Out.
You can also switch captions during playback by pressing the asterisk/star button and scrolling to the Subtitles menu. Both methods have a system-wide impact.
How to Enable Subtitles on Roku (Includes Different Modes)
The process here is similar to the one above, except you select “Off”, but there are a few things to note. First, enabling subtitles doesn’t guarantee they will appear in every movie or TV show – videos must specifically include them. Some apps may also force you to use their own closed captioning settings, in which case you may need to check support websites for specific instructions.
Roku offers three different “on” modes:
- Always on forces captions to appear when supported.
- Repeatedly allows captioning when you press the replay button on your remote, as long as that content supports Roku’s instant replay features.
- on mute usually leave captions off, but turn them on when the sound is completely muted. Only a few Roku devices support this.
Most people should choose Always on if they want subtitles. The other options have their uses of course – on mute is great if you usually avoid subtitles but, for example, want to get news updates while listening to something else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Normally you should be able to tap the asterisk/star button to open a center video window with a Subtitles menu.
Yes, but you may need to enable it separately from Roku’s general settings. During a video, press the up button and then select the Dialog box button (a speech bubble) to see options.
Like captions on Netflix, Disney Plus Subtitles are accessible in the app, not the Roku menu.
Yes, you can enable Screen Reader (Roku’s name for the descriptive audio feature) in the same menu you use for captions. Conversely, if you suddenly find your Roku does spoken storiesthat’s the place to put them out.