What if I told you that you didn’t have to suffer with Netflix’s stock subtitle color and font? To be fair, there’s nothing inherently wrong with how Netflix displays its subtitles, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a little more to your taste. Wouldn’t it feel more appropriate and fitting to have cursive subtitles at the bottom of your screen when watching a royal period piece like the Spanish Princess?
Here’s how to change the appearance of Netflix subtitles!
How to View Subtitles on Netflix
It would be rather pointless to explain, in great detail, how to change Netflix subtitles only for you to log in and realize that no one has ever shown you how to make the subtitles show up in the first place. Therefore, I thought it pertinent to start with how to display subtitles on Netflix. This depends on the device you’re using, so to make it easier, we’ve included a short guide for all mainstream devices.
Tablets, Mobile Devices, and PCs
Assuming that the mobile device you’re using has a touchscreen, as I believe almost all of them do at this stage, all you need to do is tap the screen once you’ve zeroed in on a show to watch. On PC, you simply need to click the screen during an active show. I’m currently enjoying season 2 of Designated Survivor, a hit political thriller from 2016. You’ll be able to access the navigation menu from here. The navigation menu refers to the bar at the bottom of the screen from where you can select a new episode, play, pause, and, as this guide will show you, change the subtitle settings.
Smart TVs, Blu-ray Players, and Consoles
Essentially all you’re doing is bringing the Netflix context menu up while watching a show. To do this on the above-mentioned devices, you’ll need to hit the up or down arrows on each device’s remote. Once you see the context menu at the bottom of the Netflix interface, the process is simple and identical, no matter what device you’re using.
Apple TV
Depending on which generation of Apple TV you use, this process may differ slightly. Traditionally though, all you need to do is hold down the button in the middle of your remote or, with newer models, swipe down on the remote. Next, you’ll need to select the text icon at the bottom of the screen to enable or disable subtitles.
How to Customize Netflix Subtitles
Here we are; this is what you came here for. This process is criminally easy. So easy, in fact, that it doesn’t even require our usual full-on how-to format. Here’s how:
First, you’ll need to log into your Netflix account. Once in, navigate to your account settings, and then head to where it reads Profile and Parental Controls.
Next, select Profile, and then scroll down to where you see Subtitle appearance, and hit Change. This will open up a menu from which you can change the way Netflix subtitles look. There’s no limit to what you can do here. You could even place your text in a purple box, make the font the same colour as the sun, and select a tasteful and elegant shade of hot pink to round out the subtitles’ appearance. How pretty that must look.
Take Control of your Subtitles
In all seriousness, there are numerous reasons you may want to change how Netflix displays subtitles. Perhaps the stock subtitles are a little too small and hard to read, or perhaps you see colors differently. Whatever the reason for needing or wanting to make a change to the netflix subtitle experience, it’s always good to know that you have the option to switch things up if the desire arises.