How to Fix Net­flix Sub­ti­tles Not Work­ing or Miss­ing

Are you trying to figure out why Netflix subtitles are not working? 

Netflix is one of the best streaming platforms today. It is home to many popular titles across the globe and produces its own series and movies. Netflix is also known for shows in different languages like Money Heist, Lupin, Kingdom, and more. 

With this, Netflix has a built-in feature that allows users to select their preferred subtitles to understand what they are watching. 

However, it can be a problem if Netflix subtitles are not working and you are planning to watch a film or TV show in another language. Usually, this problem is caused by improper configurations on your end, or Netflix’s servers are down for scheduled maintenance. 

In general, troubleshooting this problem is simple and should not take a lot of time, especially if pointed in the right direction. 

So, we’ve decided to make a detailed guide on what to do if Netflix subtitles are not working on your device. 

Let’s jump right in!

1. Check Netflix Servers. 

Before making any changes to your device, you should identify first if the problem is with Netflix or your end. To do this, visit the dedicated status page on their website to check the platform’s current situation. 

Netflix Server Status

However, if you cannot access the page, you can also use other tools like Downdetector. It is a third-party website that displays the current status of Netflix’s servers and the past issues it encountered. 

If Netflix is currently down, we recommend that you just wait until their team gets everything sorted. On the other hand, you can still try the remaining methods below and hope that one of the guides works out. 

2. Try Switching Between Subtitles. 

The issue you are experiencing could be just a bug or glitch and should go away after toggling a few settings. If subtitles are not working on Netflix, try to change the subtitles option to refresh its data. 

To do this, see the steps below: 

  1. First, select a movie or TV show that you want to watch on Netflix and play it. 
  2. After that, access the Video Controls tab and tap on the Subtitle icon. 
  3. Now, change the subtitle to another language. 
  4. Finally, go back to your preferred subtitle language and exit the Video Controls tab. 
Netflix subtitles not working

Once done, observe if Netflix subtitles are now working correctly. 

3. Change Subtitle Appearance. 

If you are struggling to see the subtitles in the movie or show you are watching, you can try changing its appearance. Netflix allows its users to customize the appearance of subtitles to optimize their viewing experience. 

To change subtitle appearance on Netflix, please follow the steps below: 

  1. First, access your Netflix account using a search browser. 
  2. After that, hover your cursor to your Profile icon and open the Account tab. 
  3. Next, go to Profile & Parental Controls and click on your Profile
  4. Now, find Subtitle Appearance and click on Change
  5. Finally, adjust the subtitle depending on your preference and click on Save afterward. 
Netflix subtitles not working

After customizing your subtitles, go back to the title you are trying to watch and check if you can now see the subtitles. 

4. Re-Login to Your Netflix Account. 

Your user data may have gotten corrupted while in-use and causes other platform features not to work. If this is the case, you need to sign out of your Netflix account and log back in after several minutes to refresh your account data. 

On Android and iOS, follow the steps below to sign out your Netflix account: 

  1. First, launch the Netflix app from your application drawer. 
  2. Next, tap on your Profile from the top right corner of your display. 
  3. Lastly, tap the Sign Out button at the bottom of the page. 
Netflix subtitles not working

For Windows users, check out the guide below to sign out of your account: 

  1. Launch the Netflix app from your desktop. 
  2. After that, click on More Options
  3. Finally, click the Sign Out button to log out of your account. 

If you are using a macOS device or any browsers, you can sign out of your Netflix account by doing the following: 

  1. First, access your Netflix account using your preferred browser. 
  2. Next, point the cursor to your Profile icon. 
  3. Lastly, click on Sign Out of Netflix. 
Sign Out Netflix Mac

Please visit Netflix’s Help Center and look for the dedicated guide to log out of your account on other devices. 

After 2-3 minutes, log back into your Netflix account and check if the subtitles are now working. 

5. Turn Off VPN. 

Virtual private networks or VPNs are third-party applications that provide security over your network and bypass restrictions set by your ISP. 

They work by masking your IP address with an address from another region and filters your data to prevent hackers from stealing confidential information. 

However, some VPNs don’t work that well and cause delays and interruptions over your internet connection. This makes it difficult for your device to communicate with Netflix’s servers and may fail to load subtitles and other platform features. 

If Netflix subtitles are not working, disable your VPN first and see if the problem goes away. 

Turn Off VPN

On the other hand, you can also try other VPNs like PureVPN if you don’t want to go online without protection. Compared to other VPNs, it doesn’t interfere with your connection and keeps it stable while protecting you from hackers and other entities. 

6. Clear Your Browsing Data. 

Search browsers use temporary data from your device called caches and cookies. They use this data to cut down loading times of websites and improve their overall performance. 

However, caches and cookies can get corrupted without warning and cause all sorts of problems on your device. To fix this, clear your browsing data to get rid of corrupted files. 

Follow the steps below to clear your browser cache and cookies: 

  1. On your device, launch your preferred browser and click on the Options button. 
  2. After that, access the Settings tab and click on Clear Browsing Data
  3. Next, click on Time Range and select All Time
  4. Finally, include caches and cookies in the process and click on Clear Data
Clear Browsing Data

Once done, log back into your Netflix account and check if subtitles are now working. 

7. Try Another Browser. 

Search browsers use engines to render a website and display its contents to our screen. Render engines debugs the codes written on a website and tells the browser how a specific website should look and function. 

However, not all browsers use the same engine, and they might interpret the codes written on a website differently from one another. 

This means that some websites might load without problems on one browser, but a different story for another browser. 

If Netflix subtitles are not working or loading, try to change the browser you use and see if the problem goes away. Preferably, use popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, which use render engines optimized for most websites. 

8. Run Malwarebytes. 

If you experience problems with Netflix or other applications, your device might be suffering from a malware or virus attack. To confirm this, use Malwarebytes to scan your system for issues. 

Malwarebytes is an antivirus program that automatically scans your system for infected files and removes them with a press of a single button. 

It is available on all major platforms, including Android, Windows, iOS, and macOS. 

9. Restart Your Device. 

Temporary bugs and glitches can occur on your operating system and cause other applications on your device to malfunction. If Netflix subtitles are not working, try restarting your device to eliminate any errors that may have occurred. 

On Android devices, you can restart it by doing the following: 

  1. First, press the Power button of your device to access the Options screen. 
  2. After that, tap on Restart to reboot your device. 
  3. Wait for the process to complete, which could take several seconds. 
Netflix subtitles not working

For iOS users, follow the guide below to restart your device: 

  1. On your device, locate the Power button and press it until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ screen shows up. 
  2. Next, drag the slider to the right until your display completely turns off. 
  3. Finally, press the Power button again to restart your device. 
Restart iOS

If you are using a Windows device, you can restart it by doing the following: 

  1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard to access the Start Menu
  2. After that, click on the Power button to open the Power Options tab. 
  3. Lastly, click on Restart to reload your operating system. 
Netflix subtitles not working

For macOS users, follow the guide below to restart your computer:

  1. First, click the Apple logo at the top left corner of your display to access the drop-down menu. 
  2. Next, click on Restart
  3. Finally, click the Restart button inside the dialog box to confirm the action. 
Restart macOS

Please refer to the guides on Netflix’s Help Center to help you out if you don’t see your device from the steps above. 

After restarting your device, go back to Netflix and check if the subtitles are now working correctly.

 

10. Clear Netflix App Data (Android). 

You can also try clearing your app data for Android devices if you encounter problems while using the Netflix app. Random errors occur on the platform and could cause Netflix’s app data to get corrupted. 

To clear Netflix’s app data, follow the steps below: 

  1. On your device, tap on the Settings app to open it. 
  2. After that, scroll down and tap the Apps tab. 
  3. Now, find Netflix from the list of applications and tap it. 
  4. Lastly, open the Storage tab and tap on Clear Data
Clear Netflix Data

Once done, go back to Netflix to check if the problem is solved. 

11. Update Netflix. 

Netflix releases frequent updates on their platform to patch any errors that may have occurred and keep the application optimized for most devices. If Netflix subtitles are not working, try to check for updates on the Netflix app to see if there’s a patch for the problem.

On Android, see the steps below to update Netflix: 

  1. First, open the Google Play Store from your home screen. 
  2. After that, access the side drawer by tapping the Menu button inside the Search bar. 
  3. Next, check for updates by tapping on My Apps & Games
  4. Lastly, tap the Update button beside Netflix to install the latest version. 
Update Netflix on Play Store

For iOS users, follow the guide below to update the Netflix app: 

  1. On your device, go to the home screen and launch the App Store
  2. Next, tap on your Profile from the top right corner of your screen. 
  3. Finally, locate the Netflix app and tap the Update button. 
Update Netflix iOS

If you are using a Windows computer, you can update Netflix by doing the following: 

  1. First, open the Microsoft Store on your computer. 
  2. After that, click on your Profile and go to the Downloads or Updates tab. 
  3. Next, click on Check for Updates
  4. Finally, click the Download button beside Netflix to install the latest version of the app. 

After updating the Netflix app, go back to the movie or TV show you are watching and see if subtitles are now working. 

12. Report the Problem to Netflix. 

If Netflix subtitles are still not working, we recommend that you ask help from professionals. 

Contact Netflix’s customer support and report the issue you are experiencing on the platform. Make sure to provide all essential information like your account details, the movie or show you are watching, and the device you use to help their team address the situation faster. 

Netflix subtitles not working

You can also visit Netflix’s Help Center and look for possible solutions on the articles there. 

This sums up our guide in fixing Netflix subtitles if it is not working on your device. If you have any questions in mind, please let us know in the comment section below, and we’ll do our best to help you out. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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