How to Extract Subtitles from an MKV File

PDF download Download Article
Separate subtitles from the rest of an MKV file with this simple tutorial
PDF download Download Article

The MKV file extension is a handy format for storing audio, video, and text in a single file. An MKV file can contain subtitles, but can you extract those subtitles to be saved or used separately? This wikiHow guide will show you how to extract subtitles from an MKV.

Things You Should Know

  • You can extract subtitles from an MKV file using the open-source subtitle editor Subtitle Edit.
  • An SRT file is the simplest subtitle format, whereas an ASSA file retains complex formatting and animation.
  • MKVExtractGUI-2 is another free software that can extract subtitles from your MKV. The subtitles will only export as their original file type.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using Subtitle Edit

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/e6\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/e6\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-1.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":547,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Visit https://www.nikse.dk/subtitleedit . Click the link to visit the official site for Subtitle Edit, a free, open-source subtitle editor.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/29\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/29\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Click Download latest version of Subtitle Edit to begin the download and installation process.
    • Subtitle Edit runs on both Windows and macOS.
    Advertisement
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f5\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f5\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":342,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":541,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Once Subtitle Edit has been installed on your computer, open the program.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7f\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7f\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-4.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":346,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":548,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Navigate to File > Import subtitle from Matroshka (MKV) file . Then, find the MKV video you want to work with and select Open .
    • The video may take a moment to load into the Subtitle Edit interface. [1]
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/81\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/81\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-5.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":342,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":541,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    From here, it is easy to extract the subtitles from the MKV! Click Save as and then select one of the two subtitle file formats:
    • SRT - The most popular and simple subtitle format, often referred to as SubRip.
    • ASSA - A more advanced file format, more likely to retain complex formatting and animation. [2]
      • The file extension for ASSA is just .ass.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8c\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8c\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-6.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":348,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":551,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can now open the SRT or ASSA file separately. Use Subtitle Edit to edit the subtitles, or add the subtitle track to a different video file .
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using VideoProc

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8e\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8e\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-7.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Visit https://www.videoproc.com/ . VideoProc is a video enhancer and converter that offers both a paid and a free version. You can use the free trial to extract subtitles from an MKV file.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-8.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":347,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":549,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Click Download Free Trial for the free version, or Buy Full License if you want to own VideoProc permanently.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/6d\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/6d\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-9.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":342,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":542,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Run VideoProc, then look for the Video tab atop the software's interface.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/aa\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-10.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-10.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/aa\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-10.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-10.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":342,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":541,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Then, find your MKV file and open it in VideoProc.
    • The video may take a moment to load into VideoProc.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f4\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-11.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-11.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f4\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-11.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-11.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":343,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":543,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can find this tab at the bottom of VideoProc.
  6. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/de\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-12.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-12.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/de\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-12.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-12.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":343,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":543,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Set a Start Time and End Time if you only want to extract a snippet of your video's subtitles. Then, select one of the two subtitle formats:
    • SRT - The most popular and simple subtitle format, often referred to as SubRip.
    • ASSA - A more advanced file format, more likely to retain complex formatting and animation. [3]
      • The file extension for ASSA is just .ass.
  7. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d6\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-13.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-13.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d6\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-13.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-13.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":343,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":543,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It is the large blue button in the bottom-right corner of VideoProc's interface. The extraction process will begin.
    8. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using MKVExtractGUI-2

PDF download Download Article
  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5f\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-14.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-14.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5f\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-14.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-14.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":342,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":541,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Download MKVExtractGUI-2 at https://www.videohelp.com/software/MKVExtractGUI-2 . Click the link and click the blue Download text to install the software to your computer.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/96\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-15.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-15.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/96\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-15.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-15.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":343,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":543,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/40\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-16.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-16.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/40\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-16.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-16.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":341,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":540,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Find your MKV file and click to import it. It will appear in MKVExtractGUI-2 with separate tracks for all audio, video, and subtitles.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c5\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-17.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-17.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c5\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-17.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-17.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":348,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":550,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d8\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-18.jpg\/v4-460px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-18.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d8\/Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-18.jpg\/v4-728px-Extract-Subtitles-from-MKV-Step-18.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":348,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":550,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    With the appropriate subtitle track selected, click Extract to save them as a separate file to your computer.
    • The subtitles will be saved as the same file they were when embedded into your MKV file, either SRT or ASSA.
    6. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Add Subtitles to Windows Media Player
      How to
      Connect a DVD Player to a Laptop
      Copy & Burn Audio CDs Using Windows Media Player
      How to
      Convert Any Type of Audio in Windows Media Player
      How to
      Take a Snapshot of a Video Running in Windows Media Player
      How to
      Put a Cover Photo on a Music File Using Windows Media Player
      How to
      Play DVDs on Windows Media Player
      How to
      Connect a Device to Windows Media Player
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://opensrtfile.com/extract.html
      2. ↑ https://www.nikse.dk/subtitleedit/formats/assa
      3. ↑ https://www.nikse.dk/subtitleedit/formats/assa

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 21,663 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement