How to add subtitles in VLC: Windows, macOS, Linux

How to add subtitles in VLC: Windows, macOS, Linux

VLC media player is a free multimedia player that can play almost all video and audio file formats. This program is supported by Windows and Mac platforms and also has a mobile application for iOS and Android. Here we explain to you how to add subtitles the proper way.

How to download subtitles

If your movie does not already come with subtitles, you can download the text file separately and join the two files together through the VLC platform. Subtitles are generally available in .srt file format. Although you can download your subtitles from any number of websites that are highly recommended, thanks to their wide breadth of offerings and their reputation for being more secure

Once you've downloaded your file, make sure that your video and your subtitles both have the same name. Note that the .srt extension should remain as part of the file’s name. If this is done correctly, your VLC player should automatically find and read the video subtitles. However, if this is not the case, you can also join the video and text files manually.

How to add subtitles to a video on VLC

The simplest method of adding subtitles to your VLC file is to simply open your video file in VLC and drag and drop the file on top of the video. If this doesn’t work, you can also:

  • Start playing your VLC file.
  • At the upper menu, click on Subtitle > Add Subtitle File...
  • Locate the subtitle files (usually with the .srt extension) you want to add and click on Open.

What to do if subtitles appear randomly

There may be instances where the video and subtitle files are separate and may lead to a situation where subtitles disappear. VLC may have an issue regarding the use of wrong encoding sequences.

Windows, Linux

  • Go to Media > Open Multiple Files..., and a new window will open.
  • Under the File tab, add the file your want to play, and below, check the Use a subtitle file field and select the right one.
  • Click on Play to play it.

macOS

  • Go to File > Advanced Open File...
  • Under the File tab, add the file your want to play, and below, check the Use a subtitle file field and select the right one.
  • Click on Open to play it.

Note: If your subtitles are not correctly synced with your video file, you can fix this by simply using keyboard shortcut H to speed up the subtitle or keyboard shortcut G to delay your subtitle.

any more questions about vlc media player? check out our forum!
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