How Do I Customize Subtitles and Captions on My TV?

Tailor the fonts, text size and backgrounds to make the words easier to read on the screen

Edward C. Baig,

AARP

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Published August 26, 2025

a computer screen with overlaid subtitle text and font icons

AARP (Getty Images)

I don’t hear nearly as well as I used to, so whenever possible, I rely on subtitles while streaming TV and movies. But I’m not seeing as well either, so I’d love to be able to change the font and other characteristics of subtitles and captions to make them more easily discernible when I’m watching my favorite shows. Can I?

The answer is usually yes, though it may depend on what you’re watching, the broadcast or streaming platform delivering the content, and the device you’re watching on.

Many older adults turn on subtitles or closed captions because they’re deaf or hard of hearing. You may be surprised to learn, though, that subtitles are popular even among people who aren’t employing them for such purposes.

Netflix reports that nearly half of all viewing hours on the service in the U.S. occur with subtitles or captions turned on, roughly in line with survey data from CBS News and a language-learning site called Preply. It turns out younger people are often more likely to turn on subtitles than their parents or grandparents.

More reasons viewers want words on the screen

Around 7 in 10 respondents in the Preply poll said they rely on subtitles because the audio they’re hearing is muddled. About 6 in 10 said the reason is that an accent is too hard to understand.

People also use subtitles to watch stuff quietly at home, stay focused on the screen and, in some cases, learn a new language.

What’s more, over half of the Preply survey respondents said that when not watching with subtitles, they rewind a show because of something they missed.

Subtitles or captions?

The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but subtitles generally refer to words on the screen that are meant to translate spoken dialogue in another language, such as when you’re watching a foreign film.

Captions, or closed captions, are typically aimed at people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The words shown may also include descriptors of sound effects and identify which characters are speaking.

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You may see controls listed as “CC,” for closed captions, and/or “SDH,” which is shorthand for Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Customization varies by device

To return to the question at hand, yes, you can generally change caption fonts, text size and more. This is true whether you’re watching broadcast television or popular streaming fare, and it’s also true whether you’re watching on a computer, mobile device, set-top box or smart TV.

But your ability to tailor the text varies across those devices.

If you’re watching on television, start by exploring accessibility options inside the TV settings.

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On my LG TV, for example, closed captions are listed under All Settings | Accessibility | Closed Caption. After enabling Closed Caption, I chose Digital Mode Options | Style | Custom. As I hovered over the setting, a reminder appeared that captions are only displayed when provided by the broadcast program.

Once enabled, I had several choices for changing the look of captions. I could customize the text size, font, text color, text opacity, background color, background opacity, edge type, edge color, window color and window opacity.

Under Edge Type, for example, caption choices included a raised look and a look that appeared to be more uniform. Under Edge Color I could choose a hue that outlined the letters of the captions. A preview was available for each of these.

As an alternative, I could also pick a style that was automatically set by the program I was watching.

If you’re watching via a streaming device, set-top box, mobile or the web, changing the appearance of subtitles and captions can get confusing. You may be sent outside the app for the streaming service you’re watching and directed to the settings for the device itself.

That’s what happened when I launched the Amazon Prime Video app on an Apple TV box and clicked on Settings | Accessibility within the app. A message indicated that I had to go to the Apple TV settings to make any changes.

Netflix notes that you may have fewer options for altering the appearance of subtitles on a connected or smart TV compared to those available on a web browser.

And sometimes changes you make stay within the device you’re using and don’t apply across the streaming service. For example, if you modify the appearance of captions on an Android phone or tablet in the Netflix app, the changes will apply only to titles played on those mobile devices, and will not appear if you later watch the same shows on Netflix on a TV or computer.

To make changes to subtitles on a web browser within Netflix, navigate to your Account page | Profile | Subtitle appearance. From there, you can change the text size, font, shadow, window and background. Selections are saved to your profile, so if a family member watches under their own profile, the look and feel of subtitles will match their own preferences, not yours.

If you’re watching Netflix on a TV or streaming device, launch the Netflix app and start playing a TV show or movie. Then hit pause and select player controls at the bottom of the screen. From there, choose Settings and make your choices.

In some instances, Netflix lets you choose subtitles with just dialogue or subtitles that reveal, for example, door creaks, screeching tires or other sounds.

However, if you don’t see some of these options inside Netflix Settings on a given device, it means the device doesn’t support them within the app.

For its part, Amazon says that while many Prime Video titles include subtitles, alternate tracks, audio descriptions or a combination of such features, the experience is again dependent on the device you’re using to watch and on your ability to change the color, text size and so on.

Bonus tip: Audio descriptions can assist people with impaired vision

If you or a loved one are blind or do not see well, the aptly named audio descriptions, or AD alternate tracks that may be inserted into pauses on some TV programs, movies or other videos, can help you or them understand what’s happening onscreen. Narrators describe the nonverbal visual elements in a scene: what actors are wearing, their facial expressions or body type, titles, physical actions such as a car driving across a bridge, and so on.

Federal Communications Commission rules require local TV affiliates of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC in the top 110 TV markets to provide at least 87.5 hours per calendar quarter of programming that people can choose to watch with the audio-description option; and at least 50 hours in prime time and/or children’s programming. Subscription TV offerings with 50,000 or more subscribers also must provide 87.5 hours per quarter. Choose alternate audio-description tracks on the content in which they’re available, via the TV or set-top box you’re using to watch. Audio descriptions are available in English and sometimes other languages as well.

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Edward C. Baig covers technology and other consumer topics. He previously worked for USA Today, BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report and Fortune, and is author of Macs for Dummies and coauthor of iPhone for Dummies and iPad for Dummies. Follow him on LinkedIn; Threads; and X, formerly known as Twitter.