Netflix introduces dialogue-only subtitles for cleaner viewing

If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at subtitles like [ominous music playing] or [phone buzzing] — good news. Netflix is finally rolling out dialogue-only subtitles.

Subtitles on Netflix have always been great for accessibility. They don’t just show what people say but also sound effects and background noises, which is super important for viewers with hearing impairments. But for everyone else? It can get distracting pretty fast.

A lot of people use subtitles just to catch dialogue they might miss — especially when actors whisper half their lines, the sound mix is a mess, or your TV speakers just aren’t pulling their weight. In fact, Netflix says nearly half of US viewers use subtitles regularly. So it’s kind of wild it took this long to offer a cleaner option.

Starting today, Netflix users can choose dialogue-only subtitles that show just what the characters are saying—no extra sound effects. The first show to get this is You, season 5, but Netflix says it’ll eventually roll out to more titles.

For now, the feature is English-only, but more languages are coming later. You’ll know it’s a dialogue-only track if it doesn’t have a “CC” next to the language. So instead of picking “English (CC),” you’ll just see “English.” It’s already live on Netflix’s website and apps.