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How to Turn On Subtitles and Choose a Language in Streaming Apps

Start playback, open the app’s controls, and select an available subtitle, caption, or audio track. Here are the steps for four major streaming apps.
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Start playing the video, open its playback controls, then choose Subtitles, Captions, or Audio & Subtitles and select a track shown in the menu. The exact control depends on the app and device, and a language that is not listed for that title cannot be selected there.

Before you start: choose the kind of track you need

Subtitles and captions are on-screen text tracks; labels vary between services. Subtitles commonly show dialogue in another language, while captions may also identify sounds such as music or effects. If you want spoken dialogue in another language, choose an alternate audio track instead. Audio description is different again: it is narration describing on-screen action, not a subtitle language.

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Use the track label that matches your need when the app offers one. The available tracks can depend on the title, region, and device, so menus do not necessarily offer the same choices for every video.

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Turn on subtitles or change language while watching

Netflix

  1. Start the show or film.
  2. Reveal the playback controls: tap or click the screen on a phone, tablet, or computer. On many TVs and connected players, press up or down on the remote. On Apple TV, Netflix’s instructions use a swipe up or up-arrow action.
  3. Choose Audio & Subtitles, then select the subtitle, caption, or audio track you want from the available list.

Netflix says the list reflects the languages available for that title. For a downloaded title, it displays the two most relevant languages. See Netflix’s instructions for subtitles, captions, and audio language.

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Prime Video

  1. Play a supported title and open the Closed Caption or Subtitles control. On some devices, tap the screen first to reveal controls.
  2. Choose a listed caption or subtitle track. For a different spoken language, open the playback controls’ alternative-audio options and select a listed track.

Some connected devices may require you to choose a subtitle language before playback. Device support and appearance settings vary. A track marked [Audio Descriptions] adds narration describing scenes; it is not a subtitle option. See Prime Video’s guidance for captions, alternative audio and audio descriptions, and subtitles on smart TVs.

Disney+

  1. While the video is playing, open the keyboard/settings icon. It appears at the top right on web and mobile, and at the bottom right on TV-connected devices; some TVs may show a three-dot icon.
  2. Choose the audio language, subtitles, or closed captions you want from the tracks offered for that video.

Disney+ says you can change audio and subtitles while watching. Its help page says available audio, caption, and subtitle options vary by country or region and by title. If the version you want is missing, Disney+ advises trying a different app language to see whether a version exists for that language. See how to change video language on Disney+ and what to do when a video is not playing in the language you want.

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Apple TV app

  1. Open the playback controls and select the Subtitles button.
  2. Turn subtitles on, then choose Languages to select another available track.

On Apple TV, the documented default subtitle language is under Settings > Video and Audio > Audio > Subtitle Language. Apple’s instructions are at Change subtitles or languages for videos in the Apple TV app.

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If the language you want is missing

  • Check the track list for the specific title you are watching. A language may not be offered for that title, even if it is available elsewhere in the service.
  • Consider region and device support: Disney+ notes that options can vary by country or region and title, while Prime Video notes that device support varies.
  • On Disney+, try changing the app language and check the title’s audio and subtitle menu again; this may reveal a version if one exists for that language.
  • For a Netflix download, remember that its instructions say only the two most relevant languages are shown.

A missing option is not necessarily a setting you overlooked. These menus show available tracks; changing a device setting cannot make an unoffered track appear.

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Will one setting apply in every app?

Do not assume a subtitle choice carries across services or devices. The cited instructions describe playback choices within each app; Apple separately documents a default subtitle-language setting on Apple TV. Check the playback menu in the app you are using if its current track is not the one you want.

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