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The quickest way to turn off closed captions is to pause the video, open the playback controls, select CC, Subtitles, Captions, or the speech-bubble icon, and choose Off, None, or a blank subtitle track. This usually works when the captions are controlled by a streaming app such as Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, or another video service.
If captions remain visible, the app, streaming device, TV, cable box, game console, or disc player may be controlling them separately. Use the troubleshooting steps below to find the device adding the text.
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Quick answer: turn captions off from the video controls
- Start playing the video.
- Pause it or move the pointer over the screen to show the playback controls.
- Select CC, Subtitles, Captions, or the speech-bubble icon.
- Choose Off, None, or the equivalent disabled option.
On a computer, the caption button is commonly near the lower-right corner of the video player. On a television, phone, or tablet, you may need to tap the screen or press the remote’s select button first.
Captions and subtitles are often labeled differently by each service. In practice, they are disabled from the same playback-language or accessibility menu.
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How to turn off captions by device and service
| Device or service | Where to turn captions off |
|---|---|
| Roku | Home > Settings > Accessibility or Captions > Captions mode > Off. During playback, try the Star/Options button > Closed captioning > Off. |
| Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick | Start playback, press the remote’s Menu button, select Subtitles, and choose the off option. |
| Samsung smart TV | Settings > General > Accessibility > Caption Settings > Caption off. |
| LG smart TV | Settings > All Settings > General > Accessibility > Closed Caption > Off. |
| Apple TV | During playback, open the controls > Subtitles > Off. For automatic subtitles, use Settings > Video and Audio > Automatic Subtitles. |
| YouTube | Pause the video and select the CC button. Select it again, or choose the off state, to hide captions. |
| Netflix | Open playback controls > the speech-bubble or subtitles icon > Off or None. |
| Prime Video | During playback, open the Closed Caption/Subtitles control and select the off or no-subtitles option. |
Menu labels can differ by TV model, remote, app version, operating-system version, region, and content source. A television receiving an antenna signal may use different controls from the same television playing a streaming app through HDMI.
Roku TV or Roku streaming player
To change the Roku caption setting for supported channels:
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- Open Settings.
- Select Accessibility. On some Roku interfaces, this may appear as Captions.
- Select Captions mode.
- Choose Off.
For a faster in-video option, press the Star/Options button while the program is playing. Select Closed captioning, then choose Off. This shortcut is not guaranteed to control every channel because some providers maintain their own caption settings.
Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
- Start the video.
- Press the remote’s Menu button.
- Select Subtitles.
- Choose the option that turns subtitles or captions off.
Prime Video may display its own closed-caption or subtitle button in the playback controls. Open that control during playback and select the no-subtitles or off option. The appearance of the control can vary by Fire TV model and title.
Samsung smart TV
For captions supplied by the Samsung TV’s broadcast tuner, open:
Settings > General > Accessibility > Caption Settings > Caption off
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This setting may not affect captions produced by Netflix, another streaming service, a cable or satellite box, a game console, a Blu-ray player, or a DVD. Those sources may require a separate change.
LG smart TV
On many LG televisions, the broadcast-caption path is:
Settings > All Settings > General > Accessibility > Closed Caption > Off
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If the video comes from a set-top box, streaming app, game console, or another connected device, turn captions off on that source instead. The LG television setting cannot necessarily remove text that the external device has already added to the picture.
Apple TV and the Apple TV app
To disable subtitles for the video currently playing:
- Show the playback controls.
- Select the Subtitles button.
- Choose the off option, if available.
To prevent automatic subtitles on Apple TV, open Settings > Video and Audio > Automatic Subtitles and turn the setting off.
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If captions were enabled as an accessibility preference, check Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles and Captioning and turn off Closed Captions + SDH. On a smart TV or other device running the Apple TV app, the default-subtitle setting may instead be under Settings > General > Automatic Subtitles.
YouTube
On a TV, game console, or media device, pause the video and select the CC icon. Select the icon again, or choose the disabled option, to turn captions off.
On a computer, click the CC button near the lower-right area of the player. Clicking it again turns captions off. On a phone or tablet, tap the video to reveal the controls, then use the CC or subtitles control.
Netflix
- Start the title.
- Open the playback controls.
- Select the speech-bubble or subtitles icon.
- Choose Off or None.
If captions return, verify that you changed the setting in the intended Netflix profile and on the device you are currently using. Caption behavior can differ for children’s titles, titles produced in another region, and older devices.
Computer, phone, or tablet
In a browser-based player, look for CC, Subtitles, or a speech-bubble icon in the playback controls and select Off. In a mobile or desktop app, the option is usually inside the playback overlay rather than in the device’s global accessibility settings.
If captions are enabled across multiple apps, also inspect the device’s accessibility settings. However, the in-player setting remains the most reliable place to change captions for a particular title.
Why captions will not turn off
1. The wrong device is being changed
Follow the signal path: identify where the video originates, then change captions there. For example:
- Streaming app: use the app’s playback controls.
- Roku or Fire TV: use the streaming device settings or the app’s controls.
- Cable or satellite: use the provider’s box and remote.
- Game console: check the console’s accessibility or subtitle settings.
- Antenna or built-in tuner: use the television’s caption settings.
- DVD or Blu-ray: use the disc’s subtitle menu or player controls.
Changing captions on the TV will have no effect if a connected device is injecting the text before the picture reaches the TV.
2. The app has its own caption preference
If captions appear in only one service, open that service’s playback menu. Streaming apps can ignore or supersede the television’s global caption setting. This is why turning off captions in Samsung, LG, or Roku settings may not change what appears inside a particular app.
3. The text is open captions, not closed captions
Closed captions can normally be toggled on and off. Open captions or burned-in subtitles are permanently embedded in the video image and cannot be removed with a CC button.
To test for embedded text, play another title in the same app or try a different app. If captions appear in only one title and no subtitle control can remove them, the text may be part of the video itself. This commonly occurs with some foreign-language dialogue, DVDs, and content prepared with subtitles already burned into the picture.
4. Captions are saved to a different profile
Services with multiple user profiles may save language and caption preferences per profile. Switch to the profile you normally use and set the preference there. Children’s content can also use different caption behavior from standard titles.
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5. The caption menu is malfunctioning
Restarting the app or device can help when the control is unresponsive, but it should not be the first step. First determine which device controls the captions and confirm that the title offers selectable captions. Then try this order:
- Turn captions off in the current video’s playback controls.
- Close and reopen the app.
- Restart the streaming device or TV.
- Check for an app or system update.
- Test another title to separate a content-specific problem from a device problem.
What if you do not have the original remote?
You may still be able to change captions through the app or a phone-based remote, but some TV accessibility menus and streaming-device shortcuts require the physical remote. If the original remote is missing or damaged, a universal TV remote control can be a practical convenience—check compatibility with the exact TV or streaming-device model before buying. It is not necessary for most caption problems, and replacing the remote will not remove captions that are permanently embedded in the video.
Closed captions are separate from audio description
Turning off closed captions does not turn off audio description, spoken navigation, or other accessibility features. If a voice is describing scenes or reading menu items aloud, look for Audio Description, Descriptive Audio, Voice Guide, or a similar setting and disable that separately.
Best troubleshooting shortcut
Ask one question: Where does the video come from? If it is an app, use the in-video CC or subtitle control. If it comes through a Roku, Fire TV, cable box, console, disc player, or antenna tuner, use that device’s caption setting. This source-first approach is faster and more reliable than repeatedly changing the TV’s general accessibility menu.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to turn off closed captions?
Pause the video, open the playback controls, select CC, Subtitles, Captions, or the speech-bubble icon, and choose Off or None.
Why are captions still showing after I turn them off on my TV?
The captions may be controlled by the streaming app, streaming stick, cable box, game console, disc player, or another external source. Turn them off on the device or app that supplies the video.
Can burned-in subtitles be removed?
No. Open captions or subtitles permanently embedded in the picture cannot be disabled with a CC setting. Test another title to confirm.
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Are closed captions and subtitles the same thing?
Consumer interfaces often use the terms interchangeably, although the exact features vary by service and content. Look for the CC, captions, or subtitles menu and select Off or None.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Turn captions off in the video’s own playback controls first. If that does not work, follow the video source—app, streaming device, cable box, console, disc player, or TV tuner—and change the setting there. If no selectable caption control exists and the text appears in the image itself, it is probably burned in and cannot be removed.
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