This article explains how to turn off the narrator on a Roku streaming device or TV. You can use a remote shortcut or disable the feature from the Accessibility settings. Certain Roku channels also offer audio-guided content, which you can turn off or on during playback or from the app settings.

What to Know

  • Quickly press the Star button four times in a row to disable/enable narration.Turn Audio Guide off or on from Settings > Accessibility > Audio Guide; on some versions it may be Settings > Accessibility > Screen reader.Turn off the remote shortcut from Settings > Accessibility > Audio Guide > Shortcut > Disabled or on some devices Settings > Accessibility > Shortcut > Disabled.

How to Turn Off the Narrator on Roku

If you turn on the Roku narrator—also known as the Roku Audio Guide—by accident, you have two options for disabling this feature.

Use the Roku Remote Shortcut

The fastest option for turning off narration on your Roku is to press the Star button on your remote four times in quick succession. You’ll hear the message, “Audio Guide disabled,” confirming narration is off.

Before you try this shortcut, make sure it’s enabled.

  • Go to Settings > Accessibility.
  • Look for the Audio Guide section of the Accessibility menu.
  • On some versions of Roku this step may be unnecessary.
  • Select Shortcut and toggle the selection from Disabled to Enabled.

Use Roku Accessibility Settings

You can also turn off narration on your Roku from the Accessibility options.

 Go to Settings > Accessibility.

 Look for the Audio Guide section of the Accessibility menu.

On some versions of Roku this step may be unnecessary.

Select Shortcut and toggle the selection from Disabled to Enabled.

If rapid-pressing the Star button doesn’t work or your remote is unresponsive, use this guide to fix Roku remote issues.

  • From the Roku Home screen, go to Settings > Accessibility.
  • Under Audio Guide, select Audio Guide or Screen reader.
  • Highlight Off to disable this feature.

Why Is My Roku Narrating Movies?

Roku Audio Guide describes Roku system interactions (your location on the screen, channel names, etc.) and navigation items within apps. 

From the Roku Home screen, go to Settings > Accessibility.

Under Audio Guide, select Audio Guide or Screen reader.

Highlight Off to disable this feature.

This text-to-speech feature on Roku doesn’t include video narration. If you hear descriptions of scenes and actions in movies or TV shows, you might have enabled an audio description track for that specific program.

How Do I Turn Off Descriptive Audio?

If you don’t want to hear scene narration, check and change the audio track selection during playback in the app.

You can find this feature from the audio/language or accessibility settings on Roku apps with descriptive audio. Here’s how to do that in these popular apps.

Not all titles across streaming platforms come with descriptive audio. If you see no other audio options, guided audio isn’t available to turn on or off in the app.

  • HBO Max: Start watching something and then press the Play/Pause button on the Roku remote. Move down and choose the speech bubble. Under Audio, select a language. Press the Back button to save.Hulu: Press the Up button on your Roku remote > select Settings > Audio. Change the language to the original language without the audio description.Netflix: Press the Down button on the remote to view the language options box. Change the selection from Language - Audio Description to a language without narration.Prime Video: Press the Roku remote Up button > Audio & Languages > and choose the available language without audio description.Apple TV: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio Descriptions > and select Off.

How Do I Turn Off Video Description on Roku?

If you use a cable TV source with your Roku TV or player and notice the video description feature on TV shows and movies, turn off the Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) settings. For example:

If changing audio tracks doesn’t turn off narration, you might need to update or remove and reinstall the channel on your Roku.

  • On Xfinity X1: Choose Device Settings > Languages > Audio Language (SAP) Reset.With Spectrum TV for Roku: Open the app with the Roku remote and go to Settings > Preferences > Audio Language (SAP).

If you use a non-Roku smart TV, you might also want to check the SAP preferences on the device. Look for this feature in the Audio or Accessibility area of your TV’s settings.

Press Home > Settings > Accessibility > Captions mode > Off. If closed captioning won’t turn off on your Roku after changing this setting, check app-specific caption settings. Open a channel such as Hulu on your Roku and play content. Then bring up the Options menu by pressing the Star button and select Closed captioning > Off.

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