How to Add Subtitles in Windows Media Player in 2024 [4 Steps]

Play videos with Windows Media Player but find the subtitles do not work. In this article, you might learn how to add subtitles in Windows Media Player.

Today, many users are still used to playing all kinds of video files with Windows Media Player. Sometimes you may find the movie has no subtitles. This time you need to add subtitles on Windows Media Player. This article will detail how to add subtitles on a Windows Media Player.

Part 1. Prepare Your Moive and Subtitle Files

Before we go into detail on how to add subtitles in Windows Media Player, you will need to download the latest version of Windows Media Player to your computer and make sure that your movie and the corresponding subtitle file have been downloaded to your device. You cannot manually add subtitles to Windows Media Player, but the player can detect files with the same name, so make sure you complete the following steps.

Step 1. Go to "File Explore" and create a new folder.

Step 2. Move your video and .srt file to the new folder.

Step 3. Give the video and subtitle file the same name, for example, "Movie" and the subtitle is "Movie.srt".

Step 4. Add subtitles in Windows Media Player.

Part 2. 4 Steps to Add Subtitles in Windows Media Player

Once the video and subtitle files are ready, follow the 4-step tutorial below to configure Windows Media Player.

Step 1. Enable Subtitles

Begin by launching your Windows Media Player and accessing the library mode. Switch to the play mode and navigate to "Lyrics, captions, and subtitles." Below this menu, select "On if available."

Step 2. Install the DirectVobSub (VSFilter) Codec

Download the third-party codec called DirectVobSub (VSFilter) and install it on your computer. VSFilter is an add-on software for Microsoft Windows that reads external subtitle files and overlays them on the playing video. No additional configuration is necessary.

After that, Windows Media Player should display subtitles when playing videos. Confirm that subtitles function correctly in Windows Media Player. If not, proceed with the steps below.

Step 3. Download Shark007's Advanced Codec

Launch it with administrator rights by clicking on the application and "Run as Administrator."

Step 4. Adjust Codec Settings

Navigate to the tabs for different video file types. Check the box labeled "disable Media Foundation for MP4." Also, go to the "Swap" tab and check "disable Windows Media Foundation."

Finally, you can open a video file in Windows Media Player and see the subtitles working fine. If these steps still don't work with it, there might be some problem with the subtitle file. You could try the file name .srt to .sub.

Part 3. Bonus: Add Permanent Caption into Video

Whether you add subtitles manually or turn on the player's automatic subtitle-adding function requires users to familiarize themselves with the settings of different players. Is there a way to do it once and for all? The answer is, of course, there is, and that is embedding subtitles into the video. By permanently adding subtitles to videos, you can ensure smooth playback of the movie on any player.

EaseUS VideoKit is a tool that precisely accomplishes this. It auto-generates subtitles and hardcodes them into the audio file. Moreover, it allows users to edit SRT and TXT files. You can export various subtitle formats if you prefer separate subtitle files.

Key Features of EaseUS VideoKit:

• Remove vocals without losing quality
• Edit audio and video without a watermark
• Add subtitles to videos automatically and permanently
• Adjust the caption's fonts, size, and opacity with attractive styles

Give EaseUS VideoKit a try and permanently embed your subtitles into your audio files.

You could follow the below steps to embed your subtitles into videos permanently.

Step 1. Open EaseUS VideoKit and find the "Subtitle Generator" panel.

Step 2. Click "Choose File" or drag the YouTube video file to the interface.

Step 3. Wait for the AI analyzing.

Step 4. Click the "Text" button to change the text, or customize font, background, and position under "Style" menu.

Step 5. Click "Export Subtitle" to select exported subtitle format, "Save to" to change location, and press "Export" to export the video with subtitles.

In Closing

The above article thoroughly explained how to add subtitles to Windows Media Player. We also provided a more efficient tool, EaseUS VideoKit, to offer a comprehensive solution. Use it to embed subtitles into your videos or to remove background noise with ease!

Found this guide helpful? Share it with your friends who love using Windows Media Player for videos!

FAQs on Adding Subtitles in Windows Media Player

If you still need clarification on this topic, this section addresses some frequently asked questions for clarity.

1. How do I add subtitles to a video player?

To add subtitles to a video player, you typically need subtitle files in a compatible format (such as .srt, .sub, .vtt) containing the subtitles' text and timing information. Here's a general process:

Step 1. Open your video file in the chosen video player
Step 2. Adjust sync
Step 3. Customize the appearance of the subtitles, such as font, size, color, and background.

2. Can Windows Video Editor add subtitles?

Up to now, the answer is no. You would typically have to use third-party software or services to add subtitles to videos.

3. How do I permanently add subtitles to a video in Windows?

Take Windows Movie Maker as an example, and there is a general guide:

Step 1. Import video and subtitles.
Step 2. Position subtitles.
Step 3. Adjust timing.
Step 4. Export the video.

4. Why are subtitles not working in Windows Media Player?

There might be various reasons, including codec issues, subtitle file naming, incorrect subtitle format, or corrupted subtitle files.