How do I fix closed captions that do not appear on a Roku device?

Follow these steps

1. 1

   Check the Roku Captions mode setting

   Press Home on the Roku remote, select Settings, then select Accessibility. If Accessibility is not listed, select Captions instead. Choose Captions mode and check whether it is set to Off. Choose On always so captions can appear whenever the service provides them. The names of these menus can vary by Roku model, so follow the labels on your screen. See Roku's closed captioning help.

   You should see: Captions mode shows On always, or another On option, and the setting is still in place when you leave the menu.

2. 2

   Turn captions on inside the app during playback

   Start the program in the app that has the problem. Press the Star (*) button on the Roku remote to open the Options menu, select Closed captioning, and choose a mode. Not every app offers this option during playback.

   You should see: The Closed captioning option appears in the menu, and captions show on screen after you choose a mode. If no such option appears, the app may not offer captions through Roku.

3. 3

   Use the app's own caption setting

   Some apps use their own caption system and ignore the Roku Captions mode setting, so changing only the Roku setting may have no effect. Open the app's own menu, settings or playback controls, and look for subtitles, captions or closed captioning. Turn on the app's option even if the Roku setting is already on. Roku's streaming app help page describes the same device-versus-app check.

   You should see: The app shows captions when its own caption setting is used, even when the Roku setting had no effect.

4. 4

   Test a different program or app

   Play a different program in the same app, then try a program in another app. Some settings are saved per profile, so make sure you are using the same profile each time you test. If captions work elsewhere, the problem is most likely in the affected app or in that program's caption track, not the whole Roku device.

   You should see: You can tell whether the problem affects one program, one app, or the whole device.

5. 5

   Update the app and the Roku, then restart

   If captions still do not appear, check for an app update from the app's options menu, then check for a Roku software update. In Settings, look for Software update and select Check now. Restart the app, then restart the Roku device. If the problem stays in one app, removing and re-adding that app is another option that Roku's support page mentions.

   You should see: You can tell whether an update or restart changed the result. If captions still do not appear, you have enough detail to contact the app's support.

6. 6

   Contact the streaming service if only one app fails

   If captions work in other apps but not in one app, contact that app's support, since the app's caption system is the most likely cause. Roku's support page recommends contacting the streaming app in this case and also lists a Roku Support contact option. Confirm the contact details on the app's own official site or in the Roku app store listing.

   You should see: You know whether the app support team can confirm a caption problem for the program you are watching, or whether a change on the app side is needed.