Netflix now lets you choose subtitles that only show what’s being said

Netflix

Netflix just made watching your favorite shows a little easier—especially for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. The streaming giant has introduced a new subtitle option that focuses only on spoken dialogue, leaving out extra audio cues like [door slams] or [dramatic music playing].

Why the change? Well, about half of all Netflix viewers in the US. already use subtitles regularly. And it turns out many people don’t always need the added sound descriptions—they just want help following what the characters are saying. Until now, if you wanted subtitles in the original language, you had to use the CC (Closed Captions) option, which includes dialogue plus sound effects and speaker names. That works great for people with hearing impairments, but it can be distracting for others.

Starting with the newly released YOU Season 5, Netflix is giving viewers two subtitle options:--English (just the dialogue), and English (CC) (dialogue plus sound effects and cues).

And the good news doesn’t stop there—this update isn’t limited to English. Netflix plans to roll out these cleaner dialogue-only subtitles in every language it supports for all new original shows and movies going forward.

So whether you're watching while someone’s asleep, dealing with a noisy room, or simply prefer reading the dialogue, Netflix now gives you more control. And don’t forget—you can even change the font, size, and color of your subtitles to suit your style.