Amazon Prime Subtitles: Turn On, Change and Fix Them

Amazon Prime subtitles are turned on from the player: start a title, open the playback menu, select the Closed Caption or Subtitles icon and choose a language. On a computer you can also press C. To turn them off, open the same icon and choose Off. Only the way you open the menu changes from device to device.

Below are the steps for each device, how to change the language and the look of the text, why a language is sometimes missing, what to do when subtitles misbehave, and how to watch Prime Video with two subtitle lines at once.

How to turn on subtitles on Amazon Prime on each device

Whether you search for how to turn on subtitles on Amazon Prime or how to get subtitles on Amazon Prime, the answer is the same button. Amazon's help pages describe one control on every device: the Closed Caption or Subtitles icon in the playback menu. The icon only appears on titles that have subtitles or captions.

In a web browser

Start a title on primevideo.com or amazon.com and move the mouse to show the player controls. Click the subtitles icon and pick a language.

The keyboard is faster. Amazon lists C as the shortcut that turns subtitles and captions on and off and switches between the available languages. It works in the browser and in the Prime Video apps for Windows and macOS.

Some people still search for subtitles Amazon Video, after the service's older name. The steps are the same.

On iPhone, iPad and Android

Start the title and tap the screen to bring up the playback menu. Tap the subtitles icon and choose a language.

On Fire TV

Fire TV has its own steps in Amazon's help center. During playback, press the Menu button on the remote (or in the Fire TV app), select Subtitles and pick an option. Press Menu again to go back to the video. Amazon notes that you can set the text size and style while turning subtitles on.

On smart TVs and game consoles

Bring up the playback menu during playback. On many remotes and controllers you press Enter or the equivalent button to do this. Select the subtitles icon, switch subtitles on and choose the language.

You can also choose the language before you press play. On the title's overview screen, press up and then right to reach Subtitles.

On Roku and Apple TV

These two lean on their own system settings. Amazon's Roku steps go through the Roku menu: press Home, go to Settings, open Accessibility or Captions, select Captions mode and choose when captions appear.

For Apple TV, Amazon simply points to Apple's own instructions. In tvOS the default lives in Settings, Accessibility, Subtitles and Captioning, where you can switch on Closed Captions and SDH.

How to get closed captions on Prime Video

Captions and subtitles sit in the same list. If you came here asking how to get closed caption on Prime Video, open the same Closed Caption or Subtitles icon. Caption tracks show up next to ordinary subtitles.

A caption track contains the dialogue plus sound notes and sometimes speaker names. For a language learner that's fine: the dialogue follows the audio closely, and you can skip the bracketed descriptions.

How to change subtitles on Prime Video

People mean two things by this: the language and the look.

Change the subtitle language

During playback, open the subtitles icon and pick another language. In a browser, pressing C again cycles through the languages the title has.

If you always want the same languages, set them on your profile. Prime Video lets each profile choose up to five preferred streaming languages for audio and subtitles, out of more than 35. On the website it's under Manage Profiles, Edit Profile, Manage streaming languages; in the app and on TVs it's in the profile's edit options. Amazon says this setting personalizes recommendations; it doesn't add a language to a title that doesn't have it.

Change the size and color

Amazon calls this the Subtitles Settings menu. Some devices let you change the text size and color there, and if the device supports it, you can save presets and switch between them. Which options you get depends on the device.

Roku doesn't support Prime Video's subtitle presets. There you change the style in the Roku settings. On Apple TV, iPhone and iPad, the system's Subtitles and Captioning settings control the style.

How to turn off subtitles on Prime Video

Open the subtitles icon during playback and choose Off. In a browser, C toggles them off. On Fire TV, press Menu, go to Subtitles and select Off.

If text keeps appearing after that, it's probably coming from the device, not from Prime Video. Many TVs, Roku, Apple TV and game consoles have a system-wide closed captions switch in their accessibility settings, and apps follow it. Turn it off there.

Why a subtitle language is missing on Prime Video

Amazon's wording is careful: many titles include subtitles, alternative audio tracks, audio descriptions or a combination, and the features you get depend on the device. On the smart TV page it adds that subtitles and alternative languages vary across the catalog.

So if the language you want isn't listed:

1. The title may not have it. Each title has its own set of tracks, and two shows in the same account can look very different.
2. Your device may not show it. Amazon notes that some features depend on the device or TV model. Try the same title in a browser or on your phone.
3. Where you watch can matter. Prime Video's selection differs by country, and Amazon warns that what you can stream may change while you travel.
4. Rentals and add-on channels can differ. They come from other providers, so their subtitle lists won't necessarily match what you see on Amazon's own shows.

When Prime Video subtitles don't work

If Amazon Prime Video subtitles don't show up, show the wrong language, drift out of sync or won't turn off, go through this list:

• Check the player first. Make sure the right track is selected in the subtitles icon.
• Check the device settings. A system-wide captions switch can override what you picked in the app.
• Try another episode or title. If subtitles are out of sync on only one title, the subtitle file for it is timed badly. No setting on your side will fix that; report it to Prime Video support.
• Restart the app. Amazon's general playback advice is to close the app (or browser), check that your device's date and time are set automatically, switch off any VPN or proxy, restart the device and update the app.
• On Fire TV, clear the app's cache and data. Amazon lists this under Settings, Applications.

For feedback about subtitles and captions in general, Amazon gives the address accessibility@amazon.com. For a problem with one title, use the contact form in the Prime Video help center.

How to watch Prime Video with two subtitles at once

Prime Video shows one subtitle track at a time on every device, and the apps have no setting for Amazon Prime dual subtitles. To see two lines together, for example Italian and English, you need a computer and a browser extension. The setup is the same as for two subtitles on Netflix or Disney+.

1. Install InterSub in Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
2. Open Prime Video in that browser and start a title.
3. In InterSub, choose the language you're learning and your own language.
4. Adjust size, colors and position so both lines are easy to read.

Now you watch with dual subtitles: the original line and the translation on screen together.

Non lo so, ma lo scopriremo stasera.
I don't know, but we'll find out tonight.

Hover over any word and the video pauses and shows its translation with the words around it, so you can see which meaning fits the scene. Words you look up are saved to your Wordbook, which you can export to Excel, sync with Anki or practice in the free InterSub Words Telegram bot. See all the ways to practice your words.

Add InterSub to Chrome

If a title has no subtitles in your language, InterSub can translate the second line with AI. That is a paid feature; you can try it during the 14-day free trial. It needs at least one subtitle track to translate from, though: if a title has no subtitles at all, there is nothing to show.

AI translation helps in one more case. On dubbed titles, subtitles in your language often follow the dub rather than the original audio. InterSub's forced translation setting ignores that track and translates the original line instead.

Extensions don't run in TV apps. To watch on the big screen, play Prime Video in your computer's browser and send the picture to the TV with AirPlay, Cast or an HDMI cable. Then use InterSub's Remote Control on your phone to pause and look up words from the sofa. For other platforms and settings, read what our dual subtitles extension does, or compare it with the HBO Max subtitles setup.

Prime Video for language learners

The subtitle list differs from title to title, so open the subtitles icon before you commit to a season.

A few habits make it work better:

• Set your streaming languages. Adding the language you're learning to your profile also tilts recommendations toward shows in that language.
• Watch in the original language. Subtitles made for the original audio match what the actors actually say. On a dubbed track, same-language subtitles often don't.
• Rewatch with less help. Watch an episode with both lines, then rewatch it with the second line shown only on pause (InterSub has a setting for this).

Ten minutes on your Wordbook the next day does more than another episode with English always on. If you're not sure two lines suit you, read when double subtitles help and when they get in the way.