How to Add Subtitles in VLC: Quick & Permanent Options

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A quick guide for adding subtitles to a video on VLC
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This wikiHow teaches you how to add a subtitle track to a video in VLC media player. You can either quickly select a subtitle file to watch with a movie one time, or you can set this up to be a more permanent feature. In the near future, VLC will be capable of automatically generating subtitles. [1] In the meantime, we'll explain other ways to add subtitles to movies even if you don't have a subtitle file!

Add Subtitles to a Movie in VLC

Go to Subtitles > Add Subtitle File to add subtitles to the movie one time. For a permanent solution, place the subtitle file and movie file in the same folder, and rename the subtitle file to match the name of the movie file (without changing the extension).

Section 1 of 3:

Quickly Adding a Subtitle

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  1. You'll see this menu option at the top of the VLC window (Windows) or at the top of your screen (Mac).
    • This doesn't save or merge the subtitle file with the movie or video, so you'll have to repeat this process each time you want to watch with subtitles. If you're looking for a more permanent solution, check out the next section .
    • To use this method, you'll need to download or create a subtitle file.
  2. It's usually the first option in the menu.
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  3. Browse your file manager (Finder for Mac and File Explorer for Windows) to find the SRT file that contains the subtitles for the movie you want to watch.
    • If the SRT file only has 1 subtitle track, you can skip the next few steps and immediately begin watching your movie! If you don't see captions as you're watching, continue with the next steps to enable the subtitle track.
  4. This will prompt a drop-down menu with your subtitle options.
  5. If your SRT file contains more than one track, you can choose which one you want.
    • Now you should be able to see the subtitles when you play the movie.
    • Use the options in the Subtitles menu to adjust the style of the subtitles. For example, you can change the text size, color, and outline thickness. You can also adjust the color and opacity of the background behind the subtitles.
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Section 2 of 3:

Permanently Adding a Subtitle

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  1. Click once on the subtitle file, then press either Ctrl + C (Windows) or ⌘ Command + C (Mac).
    • You'll need to download or create the subtitle file if you don't have one.
    • The file is probably in the Downloads folder if you downloaded it online.
    • Use this method to always see a specific movie's subtitles. All you need to do is make sure the movie and subtitle files have the same name (except the extension, like .srt and .mov), and are located in the same folder.
  2. Open the folder in which the video you want to subtitle is located. Press Ctrl + V (Windows) or ⌘ Command + V (Mac) to paste the subtitle file into the folder.
  3. Copy the name of the movie if you need to, then right-click the subtitle file, and click Rename .
    • On a Mac, click the subtitle file once, click the subtitle file's name once. Press ⌘ Command + V to paste in the name, then press ⏎ Return .
  4. As long as you have subtitles enabled, and the SRT file is saved in the same folder with the same name as the movie, they will automatically show any time you open the movie. [2]
    • Subtitles are automatically enabled in VLC, but if you have previously disabled them, you can enable them again in Tools > Preferences > Subtitles/OSD > Enable subtitles .
    • Use the options in the Subtitles menu to adjust the style of the subtitles. For example, you can change the text size, color, and outline thickness. You can also adjust the color and opacity of the background behind the subtitles.
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Section 3 of 3:

Can VLC auto-generate subtitles?

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  1. As of March 2025, it's not possible to automatically generate subtitles in VLC. However, the developers announced in January that an AI-based auto-generation feature is in development and will be released soon. This feature will be available locally, which means you don't need to be online to use it. [3]
    • In the meantime, there are a few workarounds and other options available if you don't want the hassle of finding or creating your own subtitle file.
  2. VLSub is an extension you can use with VLC to simplify the subtitling process. With recent versions of VLC, this extension is already included. VLSub downloads subtitles from sources online, which saves you from having to search for them. VLSub does not use AI to generate subtitles.
    • To use VLSub, click View > VLSub (PC) or VLC media player > Extensions > VLsub (Mac) and enter information about your video – like the title, season, and episode. Click Search by name , then select a subtitle that you want to use. Finally, click Download selection .
    • Once downloaded, your movie will begin playing with the selected subtitles.
    • If VLSub isn't included with your version of VLC, you can download the extension and find installation instructions on the VideoLAN website .
  3. Although this doesn't create an SRT file, you can use Live Captions in a pinch if you want to watch a movie with captioning. Here's how to turn on Live Captions on Windows 11:
    • From the taskbar, click the "Wi-Fi, Speaker, Battery" icon, then click Accessibility > Live Capions .
    • Personalize Live Captions by clicking the gear icon in the Live Captions area, then click Position and/or Preferences . [4]
  4. Although Live Captions does not create an SRT file so you can add subtitles to a video, it does help if you need to quickly watch a video with subtitles. Here's how to enable Live Captions:
    • Open System Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions .
    • In the same menu, you can customize the Live Captions so you can read them easier. [5]
  5. If you’re going for a really polished, professional product, there are several websites that offer closed captioning for a low fee. They typically charge a small amount of money per minute of video, and some offer more advanced features such as translations, more detailed audio descriptions, and caption customization options.
    • Some popular video captioning services include Rev, GoTranscript, and 3Play Media.
    • You may have the option of getting your caption file separately or ordering a video with the captions already built in.
    • Depending on how fast you want your captions—and how difficult the audio is to transcribe—you may need to pay some additional fees on top of the base charge per minute of video.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    What if there is no option for a subtitle track in the video button?
    Community Answer
    In the latest VLC Media Player (2.2.4), the option should be found under: Subtitle > Add Subtitle File...
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  • Question
    There is no "show the subtitle" option, so what can I do now?
    Community Answer
    Download a subtitle file on the internet, go on the subtitle menu and go to add subtitle file.
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    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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  • Question
    How can I add a subtitle only once?
    Community Answer
    Make a folder. Put both movie and subtitle (.srt file) in that folder. Now rename the subtitle file to be exactly the name as the movie file. Now after the first time of adding the subtitle, it will be added automatically.
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      Warnings

      • If your subtitle file doesn't work with VLC, it's most likely corrupted. Double-check the subtitle file's syntax (e.g., the spacing and formatting of the subtitle file's lines) before trying it again.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.pcmag.com/news/vlc-media-player-to-use-ai-to-generate-subtitles-for-videos
      2. ↑ https://wiki.videolan.org/Documentation:Subtitles
      3. ↑ https://www.pcmag.com/news/vlc-media-player-to-use-ai-to-generate-subtitles-for-videos
      4. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-live-captions-to-better-understand-audio-b52da59c-14b8-4031-aeeb-f6a47e6055df
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/get-live-captions-of-spoken-audio-mchldd11f4fd/mac

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