Short guide:
- Click the Apple icon
in the top left corner of the screen and select System Preferences. - Click Accessibility.
- In the sidebar, click Captions.
- Select from the pre-set styles or click the + (plus) button to create your own style.
- If you would like to use closed captions and subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (when available), tick the checkbox for Prefer closed captions and SDH.
Before and after
This section gives you step by step instructions on how to customise subtitles and captions in macOS 12 Monterey, with pictures of the screens to help.
Open System Preferences
1. Click the Apple icon in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Preferences from the menu.
Open the Accessibility settings
2. In the System Preferences window, click Accessibility.
Find the Captions settings
3. In the sidebar, click Captions.
Choose a style for subtitles and captions
4. Select from the pre-set styles or click the + (plus) button to create your own style.
A preview of the selected style will appear in the image at the top of the window.
Creating your own style
5. To create your own style for substiles and captions, click the + (plus) button.
On the next screen, choose your styles for each of the options – text size, font, background colour, etc.
When you are happy with your settings, click OK.
Repeat these steps if you want to create more custom styles.
Use closed captions and SDH (when available)
6. If you would like to use closed captions and subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing when available, tick the checkbox for Prefer closed captions and SDH.
Close System Preferences
7. When you are happy with your settings, close System Preferences by clicking the Close button (red circle) in the top-left corner of the window or using the Cmd + W keyboard shortcut.
Note: If this does not work it could be because your computer settings are managed by someone else (an IT department or administrator for example). If so, you will need to contact them to access these settings or for help.
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