How to Turn On Subtitles on Crunchyroll

If you aren’t fluent in Japanese, you’re going to need subtitles to understand your anime. Fortunately, Crunchyroll offers up to nine language options for most of their streaming videos. With a few simple taps of a button, you can watch your favorite shows without missing a beat.

There are a few exceptions and limitations to their subtitle capabilities, though. It all depends on the licensing agreement Crunchyroll has with the company that holds distribution rights.

Find out more about enabling subtitles for your video streams and get the most of your favorite shows.

Subtitle Availability on Crunchyroll

Subtitles are available for most of Crunchyroll’s streaming content, especially if the shows are relatively new. Older shows tend to have only one subtitle language available, and it’s usually English. But the newer the show, the more likely it will be available in most of the nine languages that Crunchyroll supports.

The exception is for dubbed videos.

In the case of dubbed audio, there are no Closed Caption options in English or any other language.

Also, subtitles are automatically applied to the videos you watch depending on your geographical region. You can always change the subtitle language or switch them off completely if the video contains soft subs. However, you rarely have to switch the subtitles to “On” as the streaming service automatically assumes you don’t know Japanese.

Turn on Subtitles via Web Browser

If you’re using Crunchyroll from a web browser, you can change your subtitles directly from the video stream.

First, click on the little gear icon near the bottom right-hand side of the video screen. This opens your Settings menu. From there, scroll down and select Subtitles/CC to open your language options.

Depending on the show’s publisher, you may see all nine supported language options, or you may only see a couple. It varies from show to show.

Turn on Subtitles via Crunchyroll App (PC)

Using the Crunchyroll app is a little different if you want to enable subtitles for your videos. Instead of changing your subtitles for each video, the app allows you to do it for all your videos in a few simple steps.

First, open your Crunchyroll app and make sure that you’re logged in. Go to the Main menu icon or three horizontal lines in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. When you click on the Main menu, you have very few options to choose from, but that’s alright because you only need the Settings one.

In the General section of the Settings menu, you’ll see three options. Click on Subtitle Language and then select your preferred language. Your new subtitles are ready the next time you play a video, and the language also changes the translations for the episode titles, too.

Turning On Subtitles via Console

You can switch subtitle languages if you’re watching shows with a console like Xbox or PlayStation. However, you can’t toggle the subtitles on or off.

To change the subtitle language:

• Go to the Menu
• Scroll down and click on the Settings option
• Select Language
• Exit out of the Menu

Changes made this way only affect the video streams, not the actual app UI. If you want to change your app language, you need to make those changes through your console’s system.

Also, changing the language doesn’t necessarily guarantee that your show will have that subtitle available. It varies, depending on the licensing agreements between Crunchyroll and the distributor. If you select a language that isn’t available for all the items in your queue, it won’t show up on your list.

So, if you see some of your shows missing from your queue, don’t worry. They’re not gone for good. Those shows may not have subtitles available in the language you selected.

Get the Right Subtitles in the Right Language

Due to geographical licensing restrictions, Crunchyroll isn’t able to offer every show in their library in all nine languages. But they come pretty close!

You can find out if a show has subtitles in a particular language by going to the info page. On the right side of the window under the description is a list of languages supported for that series. If you don’t see your language right away, keep checking. Licensing agreements change all the time.

Do you have a story to share about getting your subtitles right on Crunchyroll? Let us know in the comments section below.