To turn on subtitles on LG smart TV, press the Settings button on your remote and navigate to All Settings. For live TV or antenna channels, the exact menu path depends on your TV's webOS version, but the system-level Closed Caption setting controls subtitles for broadcast content only, not for streaming apps or external devices.
How to turn on subtitles on LG smart TV for antenna channels
The primary method to turn on subtitles for live TV or antenna channels starts with the Settings button on your LG TV remote. From the Settings menu, select All Settings. The caption function is available for supported broadcast content received via an indoor/outdoor antenna or a wired broadcasting antenna directly connected to the TV's antenna port. It is not supported when using a set-top box.
Menu wording and steps may vary slightly depending on the specific LG TV model and webOS version. Use the path that matches your TV:
- For 2022 webOS22, 2023 webOS 23, and 2026-and-newer LG TVs: General → Accessibility → Closed Caption (or Closed Caption / Subtitle) → On.
- For 2021 webOS 6.0 models: General → Accessibility → Closed Caption → On.
- For 2019 webOS 4.5 models: Accessibility → Closed Caption → On.
- For Smart TVs with webOS 14 or later: Home → Settings → Advanced Settings → Accessibility → Closed Caption → On.
- For Smart TVs with NETCAST: Home (or Smart) → Settings → General → Closed Caption → On.
Turning on subtitles inside streaming apps
The TV's main caption setting does not control subtitles inside streaming apps like Netflix or Prime Video. To turn on subtitles within an app, pause the video and look for a speech bubble or gear icon in the playback menu. Each streaming app has its own subtitle controls, so the exact location and wording may differ. This is the universal method for enabling subtitles inside any streaming app on your LG TV.
Using the magic remote shortcut for subtitles
If you have a Magic Remote, you can quickly toggle the system-level Closed Caption setting by pressing the accessibility button. This button is usually marked with a figure and a plus sign. Pressing it opens a menu of accessibility options where you can select Subtitles or Closed Caption and turn them on or off. This shortcut works for broadcast antenna channels but does not control subtitles inside streaming apps, so you may need to turn subtitles off on Paramount plus directly within the app’s own settings.
Customizing how subtitles look on your LG TV
To customize the appearance of system-level subtitles, navigate to the Closed Caption settings using the same menu path for your webOS version. From there, you can change the text size, font, color, and background opacity for better readability. These adjustments apply to subtitles for broadcast content and may also affect subtitles from USB devices. Customizing these settings helps ensure the text is clear and comfortable to read against any background.
Troubleshooting: fixing subtitles from a USB device
When you play video files on smart TV from a USB device, the subtitle file and video file must share the same name for subtitles to play. Supported external subtitle formats include .smi, .srt, .sub (MicroDVD, SubViewer 1.0/2.0), .ass, .ssa, .txt (TMPlayer), .psb (PowerDivX), and .dcs (DLP Cinema). Subtitle files should be encoded with ANSI code; if they are not, you may need to convert them using a text editor like Windows Notepad. Playback of SMI subtitles is limited in DLNA mode, so direct USB connection is recommended for reliable subtitle display.
