How to Fix VLC Subtitles Not Showing: A Comprehensive Guide

VLC Subtitles not showing up is a common issue. This article will define why that happens and provide the five best fixes and a viable alternative to solve it.

How to Fix VLC Subtitles Not Showing: A Comprehensive Guide

VLC Media Player is one of the foremost video and audio players that users employ on numerous devices like PC/Mac, Android, and iOS. Many people like VLC media players as they can effortlessly watch any video with subtitles or simply download and add subtitles to a video file.

But sometimes, users face the issue of VLC subtitles not showing. This problem of VLC subtitles not working can be caused by a few reasons. Sometimes, VLC is corrupted, or the video's player subtitles aren't right.

All those problems have fixes that efficiently solve the VLC subtitles problem. That's what we'll discover by demonstrating the reason VLC subtitles are not showing and then talking about a few fixes, so let's get started.

Common Reasons for VLC Subtitles Not Showing

VLC might not be causing the problem if a user is unable to add a subtitle file to their video or movie. Now it’s important to understand what might be causing the problem before attempting to fix the issue of subtitles not showing in VLC.

If the user has tried using a free automatic subtitle generator, then it might be that the file isn’t working well or synced to the video. So, some of the most common reasons behind subtitle text not working in VLC videos are:

Some of the most common reasons behind subtitle text not working in VLC videos are:

• A corrupted subtitle file or wrong subtitles downloaded;
• Subtitle text not matching the audio of VLC video;
• Wrong method to load the subtitle file;
• VLC is unable to add subtitles because of software corruption;
• And disabled subtitles in VLC preference settings.

These are some of the most common reasons behind VLC subtitles not showing. It's most likely that the download subtitles are not working because of the wrong file or corrupted text in the subtitle file. But it's also possible that VLC is misconfigured or doesn’t have the subtitles in VLC enabled.

Sometimes the user fails to edit the SRT file properly and ends up corrupting it. Other times the video subtitle generator isn't of the highest quality, so it generators lackluster or corrupted subtitle files.

5 Solutions to Fix VLC Not Showing

There are a few fixes to get rid of the VLC subtitles now showing problems, but some of them are known to fix the problem for a lot of users.

That's why we're focusing on five solutions that can help users fix their subtitles in VLC easily, such as adding captions to a video. Here's how users can fix VLC subtitles in five different and proven methods:

Fix 1: Check the Subtitle File

Checking the subtitle file can also fix the problem of VLC subtitles not showing when casting or playing video on VLC to a different device. If the file opens with Notepad without any issues, then the problem is not with the SRT file, and here's how to check it:

Step 1. Open the subtitle or video folder and right-click on the subtitle file.

Step 2. Then hover over the "Open With" option and select "Notepad."

Step 3. See if the subtitle file opens correctly and shows timestamps.

This will help users understand whether the problem is with the video with subtitles or just the subtitles. If the subtitle files were open as seen above, then there's nothing wrong with it, and trying the next fix might fix this problem.

Fix 2: Rename & Copy the Subtitle to Same Folder As The Video

Sometimes, a video with subtitles doesn't detect subtitles in VLC if the subtitle text isn't named the same as the video file. That's why it's important to ensure that Subtitles not working on Windows 10 or mobile devices are titled the same as the video.

If the user hasn't saved the two files with the same name, then the problem could look like this:

So, it's better to rename the subtitles text according to the video file and fix this problem like this:

Step 1. Rename the original video file, then copy the name—do not change the video name.

Step 2. Now rename the subtitle file and paste the video name into it.

Step 3. Run the video with subtitles using VLC.

Step 4. Check the subtitle option.

As it's apparent here that renaming the subtitle file does automatically detect subtitles in VLC. That's why it's one of the best ways to fix VLC subtitles without doing much.

This will also work for those whose VLC subtitles are not showing Android 12 or any other version. And if VLC subtitles are not showing iPhone versions, then iOS users can try this, too.

Fix 3: Fix Subtitles Preferences in VLC

If subtitles still don't appear in VLC, then it's likely that VLC preferences are misconfigured. Fixing this problem by changing the right settings in VLC preferences is another way to get VLC subtitles on again. Here’s what the users will have to do in order to achieve that:

Step 1. Head into "Tools" and then click on "Preferences" on VLC.

Step 2. Switch to the "Subtitles OSD tab."

Step 3. Now check the "Enable On Screen Display (OSD)" option.

Step 4. Then check the "Enable Subtitles" option too.

Step 5. Save settings and run the video with subtitles again.

This is one of the most common reasons behind VLC subtitles not working, as users simply do not have them enabled in the settings. And doing this in VLC preferences will help those who face the VLC subtitles not showing up the issue while playing videos.

Fix 4: Manually Add Subtitle File

Sometimes, VLC doesn't detect the subtitle file, so users must show it to VLC manually. All one has to do is browse their PC and add and then enable subtitles using the right settings like this:

Step 1. Right-click the screen and head into Subtitle > Add Subtitle file option.

Step 2. Browse to the file/location of the subtitle.

Step 3. Click the subtitle and tap "Open."

Step 4. Head into the subtitle menu again and enable "Track 1."

Users facing the issue of "VLC subtitles not showing when casting" can manually add the subtitles like this. This way, they can ensure that if they were facing the VLC MKV subtitles not showing the problem, they'll fix it by manually adding it to the video file.

Fix 5: Reset VLC Media Player

Resetting VLC Media Player itself also seems to have done the trick for many users. There are times when VLC settings might cause this problem, and fixing this by resetting VLC is one of the easiest fixes, and here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Head into Tools and then "Preferences."

Step 2. Find the Reset Preferences option on the main page.

Step 3. Tap it and confirm when prompted.

Step 4. Restart VLC and try running videos again.

This will reset any issues caused by VLC's own settings that might prevent or force subtitle position to something uneven. And if this doesn't fix VLC subtitles, users can also try to uninstall and reinstall the VLC media player.

Best Alternative to Add Subtitles to Videos

Encoding or adding subtitles to videos can be difficult and requires some work. But there is a third-party tool that can make this process easy whether the user has the transcript or not. This third-party tool, EaseUS VideoKit, is an outstanding tool that can add SRT to MP4 seamlessly.

It has an in-built Subtitle Generator that can help users create their own subtitles from scratch and add them to videos. This can help users add subtitles to their videos using the video subtitle generator and even force subtitle positions according to their liking.

Some of the great features of this tool include:

• Create new subtitles using AI speech detection
• Ability to edit or extract subtitles from videos
• AI-based speech-to-text tool to create new subtitles
• The ability to manage and edit existing subtitles

This tool has many great AI features, such as the Text to Speech feature and the ability to edit SRT files. That's why it's the best program for adding subtitles to videos, as it can generate subtitles as well. Get a safe download from here

Conclusion

These are some of the top methods to fix the problem of VLC subtitles not showing up. It’s essential to focus on each fix provided in this article to get rid of this nagging issue efficiently. Then the user can easily enjoy their videos, such as films and TV shows with subtitles.

But if they find adding subtitles through VLC using this article's methods difficult, they can simply use EaseUS VideoKit to hardcode these subtitles into their videos. After doing so, they will be able to enjoy videos with subtitles on all platforms.

If you find this article useful, please share it with others.

FAQs About Fixing VLC Subtitles Not Showing

VLC media player users might have additional questions about fixing subtitles not showing up, so here are some FAQs that might answer any additional queries:

1. How do I turn on subtitles in VLC?

Turning on subtitles in VLC is quite easy and straightforward, so the user must run the video. After that, the user must pause the video, right-click on the screen, and hover over the subtitle options. From there, they can pick the subtitle if there is a list or browse their PC to add one.

2. Why is the SRT file not working?

It’s likely that the SRT file has gone corrupted or just doesn’t fit the video or movie the user is trying to play it with. That's why one should always try to download another SRT file and see if the problem persists.

3. How do I get VLC to find subtitles automatically?

Renaming the subtitle file as the video file is one of the easiest techniques to do this. By renaming the two files as the same, the user can ensure that VLC detects them simultaneously and add the subtitles option in the subtitle menu.

4. Does VLC accept SRT files?

Yes, VLC does accept SRT files, but it's important to ensure that the said SRT files are in UTF-8 encoding. Only then will VLC be able to read and use the subtitles while playing the video.