How to Fix VLC Subtitles Not Working in Windows 10
The possible causes for which the subtitles may not be working on the video file in the VLC Media Player are listed below:
How to Fix VLC Subtitles Not Working in Windows 10 Method 1: Basic Troubleshooting Steps Method 2: Open Subtitle File in Notepad Method 3: Change Preferences of VLC Step 1: Change Font and Background Color Step 2: Subtitle Codecs Step 3: Reset Preferences
Password Protected SRT file: If the subtitle file you are trying to use is protected digitally with a password, the VLC subtitle may not be showing. Empty or corrupt SRT file: If the subtitle file is corrupt or has no content, it may not show in the VLC app. The Subtitle file is not UTF-8 encoded: The subtitle files are coded with UTF-8 to allow us to view the text. If the option is disabled, the subtitle file may not be available in the VLC app. Text color is the same as that of background color: If the color of the text and background for the subtitle is the same, the subtitle may not be shown in the video file. Different subtitle extension: Subtitle files with SRT extension work perfectly. If there are any other extensions like .sub, the file may not be played. Corrupt video file: If the video file is corrupt, the video may not support the subtitle file in the VLC media player. Corrupt VLC Media Player app: If the VLC Media Player app has some fault, it may not support the subtitle and video files.
Method 1: Basic Troubleshooting Steps
Before attempting to solve the issue of VLC subtitles not working, you may try the basic troubleshooting methods given in this section.
Check If File has SRT Format: Check if the subtitle file is in .srt format. Select the listed view in the Windows Explorer at the bottom-right side of the window. You can see the name of the subtitle file in the Name column, check if the file is saved in .srt extension. If not, try downloading a subtitle file in the srt format.
Try Different SRT File: If there is a problem with the subtitle file you are trying to use, you may need to change the subtitle file. Try downloading any other subtitle file and then try adding it to the video file. To do this, open the video file on the VLC Media Player app and right-click on the video. Move your cursor over the option Subtitle in the list and then move it over the option Sub Track in the next menu. Select any other track such as Track 2 by clicking on it. If the other track shows the subtitle, the problem might be with the subtitle file.
Password Protected SRT File: Some subtitle files may be password protected or have a digital security pin. You may need to know the password to access the srt file or you may have to re-download the subtitle file.
Rename Subtitle File with Same Name as Video File: If the name of the subtitle file is different from that of the video file you are trying to play, VLC Media Player may find it difficult to play the subtitle. You can rename the subtitle file similar to that of the Video file to solve this issue. To do this, right-click on the video file and select the option Rename in the menu. You can rename the subtitle file with the same name as that of the video file. Try playing the video file with the subtitle file after making this change.
Save Subtitle and Video Files in Same Location: If the subtitle file and the video file are in different locations, the subtitle file may not be available for the video file. You may need to move the files manually to the same location. Note: You can try creating a folder separately for the files and moving them to this folder.
Restart VLC Media Player: Restarting VLC Media Player can solve the issue of subtitles not working in the app. To restart, click on the Close button at the top-right corner of the app and launch the app on your PC again.
Enable and Disable Subtitle: You can try the enable and disable subtitles on the VLC Media Player to solve the issue. To do this, right-click on the video file in your VLC app. Move your cursor over the option Subtitle and then move it over the Sub Track option in the next drop-down menu. Click on Disable option in the next menu to disable the subtitle. You can enable the subtitle by clicking on the subtitle track such as Track 1 in the menu.
Manually Add Subtitle: If the in-built subtitle isn’t working on your video file, you can try adding the subtitle file manually to your video file in the VLC Media Player as shown below:
Right-click on the video file in the VLC app and move your cursor over the Subtitle option and then click on the Add Subtitle File… option.
Browse for the file in the Open subtitle… window and select the subtitle file.
Click on the Open button to insert the subtitle file manually into your video file.
Also Read: 5 Best Video Editing Software For Windows 10 9. Open Video in Different Video Player App: Try opening the video in a different video player app such as Movies & TV. Browse for the file and right-click on the file. Select the option Open with in the list and click on the Movies & TV option in the next drop-down menu. If the video is played in the Movies & TV app with subtitles, the problem might be in your VLC Media Player app. You can restart the VLC app to solve this issue.
Open Different Videos in VLC Player: If the video file you are trying to view has any error, it may not be playable by the VLC Media Player app. Try playing any other video file in the app to check for the issue. You may need to download the video file again.
Update VLC Media Player: Updates for the VLC app will be available as a message automatically. Download when you are prompted to do so. However you can check for updates in VLC manually as shown in the steps below:
In the VLC Media Player, click on the Help option.
Then, select check for updates. VLC will try to check for updates and download and install them.
Also Read: How to Fix VLC does not support UNDF Format
Method 2: Open Subtitle File in Notepad
You can check if the subtitle file has some content by opening the subtitle file in the Notepad app.
Press the Windows key, type Notepad, and click on Open.
Press the keys Ctrl+ O in the app to launch the Open window. Select the All Files in the file type drop-down menu.
Browse the subtitle file in the window and click on it. Click on the Open button to view the file in Notepad.
If you see content in the file, then the subtitle file can be used in VLC Media Player. Note: If the subtitle file is empty, you may need to download the subtitle file again.
Method 3: Change Preferences of VLC
You can use the methods in this section to change your preferences for the VLC Media Player app. This must solve the issue of VLC subtitles not working.
Step 1: Change Font and Background Color
You can change the color of the font and the background of the subtitle using the steps given below.
Hit the Windows key, type VLC Media Player and click on Open.
Click on the Tools tab in the ribbon and select the Preferences option in the menu. Note: Alternatively, you can press the keys Ctrl + P keys together to open the Preferences window.
Move to the Subtitles/ OSD tab in the window and tick the box Enable subtitles in the window.
Set Force subtitle position to 0px in the subtitle effects section.
In the subtitle effects section, set the Text default color to White and Outline color to Black.
Click on the Save button to save the changes.
Also Read: 5 Best Video Editing Software For Windows 10
Step 2: Subtitle Codecs
You can set the basic settings for the subtitle display and select the UTF-8 encoding using the steps provided.
Open VLC Media Player from Windows Search.
Click on the Tools tab in the ribbon and select the Preferences option in the menu. Note: Alternatively, you can press the keys Ctrl + P keys simultaneously to open the Preferences window.
Move to the Interface tab in the Preferences window.
Select the All option in the Show settings section.
Under the Input/Codecs section in the list, expand the Subtitle codecs option.
Click on the Subtitles option in the menu.
Select Auto for the setting Subtitle justification and tick the box UTF-8 subtitle authentication.
In subtitle text encoding, select the Default (Windows-1252) option in the list. Note: You can select the option System codeset if the issue isn’t solved.
Click on the Save button to save the changes.
Also Read: How to Convert MP4 to MP3 Using VLC, Windows Media Player, iTunes
Step 3: Reset Preferences
Use the steps given in the section to reset your preferences in the VLC Media Player app. This will set the preferences to the default setting.
Launch the VLC Media Player from Windows Search.
Click on the Tools tab in the ribbon and select the Preferences option in the menu. Note: Alternatively, you can press the keys Ctrl + P keys together to open the Preferences window.
Move to the Interface tab in the Preferences window.
Click on the Reset Preferences button at the bottom of the window.
In the Reset Preferences window, click on the OK button to confirm the change.
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The motive of the article is to provide the solutions for the issue of VLC subtitles not working. If you are perplexed to find a solution for VLC subtitles not showing, you can use the methods described in this article. Try using the methods described in the article and do let us know your suggestions or queries in the comments section.
