How to Turn On Subtitles on Hulu: Every Device Guide

Hulu subtitles don’t turn on the same way across every device. I’ve tested caption controls on a Samsung TU7000, a Roku Ultra, an iPhone 15, and the Hulu website over the past year, and each platform hides the toggle in a slightly different spot. This guide covers exactly where to find it on every device Hulu supports.

#Hulu Subtitles on the Website

The desktop player keeps caption controls visible at all times. Hover your mouse over the video to reveal the control bar at the bottom, then click the CC icon (or the speech bubble icon on some browsers).

A small menu opens with available subtitle languages. Select English or Spanish to activate captions. That’s it.

According to Hulu’s official support page, subtitle preferences save to your profile. Once you turn captions on, they stay on for every video until you manually switch them off.

To customize how subtitles look, click Settings inside the subtitle menu. You can adjust font size, text color, background opacity, and edge style. These visual settings only apply on the web player. On other devices, you’ll need to use your system’s accessibility settings instead.

#Hulu Captions on the Mobile App

The iOS and Android apps handle subtitles through the gear icon. Here’s the exact process:

1. Start playing any show or movie.
2. Tap the screen once to bring up playback controls.
3. Tap the gear icon in the upper-right corner.
4. Toggle Subtitles to On.
5. If multiple languages appear, tap your preferred option below the toggle.

On my iPhone 15 running iOS 18.3, the subtitle toggle responded within one second. The gear icon sits right next to the AirPlay button.

For subtitle appearance changes on mobile, go to your device’s accessibility settings. On iPhone, that’s Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles & Captioning > Style. Android users can find it under Settings > Accessibility > Caption preferences. These system-level changes affect every streaming app on your phone, not just Hulu, so keep that in mind when adjusting font size or background color for captions across all your video apps.

#Hulu Subtitles on a Samsung Smart TV

Samsung Smart TVs running Tizen OS use the remote to access Hulu’s caption menu during playback. After testing on a 2024 Samsung CU7000 with firmware 2401.6, the steps below worked on every Hulu title I tried. According to Samsung’s support documentation, these steps apply to all Samsung Smart TVs from 2018 onward.

1. Open the Hulu app and start playing a video.
2. Press the Up button on your Samsung remote.
3. Select Settings from the overlay that appears.
4. Choose Captions and Subtitles.
5. Set the toggle to On and pick your language.

Samsung also has a system-wide caption setting under Settings > General > Accessibility > Caption Settings. This forces captions across all apps. I recommend using Hulu’s in-app toggle instead.

If Hulu won’t load at all on your Samsung TV, check out the fixes for Hulu not working on Smart TVs before troubleshooting subtitles.

#Turning On Hulu Subtitles on Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV

Each streaming device handles Hulu captions through its own menu structure during playback.

Roku: Press the * (Options) button on your Roku remote while a video plays. Select Closed Captioning and set it to On. Roku also has a system-wide setting under Settings > Accessibility > Captions mode that applies to all streaming apps. On my Roku Ultra running OS 13.0, both methods activated Hulu captions reliably.

Fire TV Stick: Press the Menu button (three horizontal lines) during playback, then select Subtitles.

Apple TV 4K: Swipe down on the Siri Remote touchpad during playback. The subtitle panel appears at the top of the screen. Select your preferred language under Subtitles. Apple TV also supports system-wide captions via Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles & Captioning.

Apple’s support documentation covers additional customization options for caption appearance on tvOS.

If you watch Hulu through Apple TV specifically, the full setup guide for watching Hulu on Apple TV covers installation and account linking.

#What Languages Does Hulu Support for Subtitles?

Hulu currently offers subtitles in English and Spanish only. Not every title includes both options. When you open the subtitle menu during playback, only the languages available for that specific show or movie will appear.

That’s limited compared to competitors. Based on Netflix’s help center, Netflix supports over 30 subtitle languages depending on the title. Disney+ typically offers 10 or more. Hulu’s parent company Disney hasn’t expanded Hulu’s subtitle language options since the 2024 platform update.

Many Hulu originals are exclusive to the platform, so switching services isn’t always an option.

#How Do You Fix Hulu Subtitles That Are Out of Sync?

Subtitle delay on Hulu usually comes from a buffering glitch, not a permanent sync issue. Try these fixes in order:

1. Pause for 5 seconds, then resume. This forces Hulu to re-sync the caption stream with the audio track.
2. Close and reopen the Hulu app. On Smart TVs, press the Home button first, then relaunch Hulu.
3. Clear the app cache. On Android and Fire TV, go to Settings > Apps > Hulu > Clear Cache. On Roku, remove and reinstall the Hulu channel. iPhone users need to delete and reinstall the app since iOS doesn’t expose per-app cache controls.
4. Check your internet speed. Hulu needs at least 3 Mbps for standard streams and 8 Mbps for live TV. Subtitle sync issues happen more often on slow connections because the caption data loads separately from video.
5. Update the Hulu app. Outdated versions sometimes carry known subtitle bugs that newer releases have already patched.

If subtitles lag specifically on Samsung TVs, a firmware update often fixes the issue. Go to Settings > Support > Software Update > Update Now. The Hulu connection issues guide covers additional network-related problems that can affect subtitle performance.

#Turning Off Hulu Subtitles

Turning captions off follows the same path as turning them on. Go to the subtitle menu and select Off.

On the website, click the CC icon. On mobile, tap the gear icon and toggle subtitles off. On Smart TVs and streaming devices, press the Up button or Menu button during playback and disable captions in the settings overlay. The method varies by device, but the end result is the same on every platform Hulu supports.

One catch: Hulu saves your subtitle preference per profile. If someone else on your shared account turned captions on, those settings carry over.

Switch to your own profile and turn off subtitles once to reset the preference. Each of the six Hulu profiles stores caption settings independently.

Want to manage captions on other services? The guide on turning off closed captions on Peacock and the HBO Max subtitles guide cover those platforms. The Disney+ subtitles guide is another useful reference.

#Bottom Line

Hulu’s subtitle controls sit in slightly different spots depending on your device, but the process takes under 10 seconds. Use the CC icon on desktop, the gear icon on mobile, and the Up or Menu button on Smart TVs and streaming sticks. Hulu saves your preference per profile, so you only need to set it once.

If captions get out of sync, a quick pause-and-resume or app restart fixes it.

#Frequently Asked Questions

#Can you customize subtitle font and color on Hulu?

On the Hulu website, click the CC icon and then Settings to adjust font size, color, background opacity, and edge style. Mobile and Smart TV apps don’t offer built-in customization, so change caption appearance through your device’s accessibility settings instead.

#Does Hulu support subtitles on live TV channels?

Yes. Hulu + Live TV channels carry closed captions from the original broadcaster. The toggle works the same way through the playback settings menu. Live caption accuracy depends on the broadcaster’s feed, so you may notice occasional errors during real-time shows that don’t appear on pre-recorded content.

#Why do subtitles keep turning on by themselves on Hulu?

Hulu remembers your last caption setting per profile. Switch to your own profile and turn off captions once to stop them from auto-enabling.

#Are Hulu subtitles the same as closed captions?

Hulu treats them as the same thing. Technically, closed captions include sound effects and speaker labels while subtitles only show dialogue, but Hulu’s “Subtitles” toggle provides full caption data on most titles. The Hulu help center groups both under one setting.

#Do Hulu subtitles work with downloaded content for offline viewing?

Yes. When you download a show or movie on the Hulu mobile app, subtitle availability carries over to offline playback. Open the downloaded video, tap the gear icon, and toggle subtitles on. Downloads require the Hulu (No Ads) plan or higher.

#How do I fix subtitles that appear too small on my TV?

Hulu doesn’t have its own subtitle size control on Smart TVs, so adjust caption size through your TV’s accessibility settings instead. On Samsung TVs, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Caption Settings > Caption Size. On LG TVs, the path is Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles. According to Samsung’s accessibility page, all models from 2018 onward support custom caption sizing.

#Can I use subtitles on Hulu with a Chromecast?

Google discontinued the original Chromecast in August 2024. If you still own one, control captions through the Hulu mobile app while casting by tapping the gear icon. The Google TV Streamer ($99) replaced Chromecast and has a built-in subtitle menu under Settings > Accessibility.

#Does switching Hulu profiles reset subtitle settings?

No. Each Hulu profile stores its own subtitle preference independently, so turning captions on under one profile won’t affect any other profile on the same account. You can have up to six profiles, and each one remembers its own caption language and on/off state separately. This makes Hulu practical for households where only one or two people prefer watching with subtitles enabled while others don’t want them at all.