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As most of you might be aware, there are plenty of websites on the internet where you can download subtitles for free. Once you have the subtitles, you can copy them over to the respective movie’s folder and most media players would automatically load the subtitles. However, wouldn’t it be nice if VLC could automatically download the subtitles for you?
Download Subtitles in VLC Media Player Using VLSub
VLC is a great media player that can play almost any media format. When you have a video file (for example, .mkv) that your usual media player can’t play, simply play it with VLC and there is a high chance it can play it without installing additional codec.
Below are different methods to automatically download subtitles on VLC media player on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android.
NOTE: VLSub is now built in VLC player. So you are no more required to download or install it. Skip to the Step 2 part to learn how to download the subtitles in the VLC Media player on Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux, and macOS.
Steps to Download Subtitles in Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux, and macOS
Fortunately, the VLC media player’s support for plugins, such as VLSub, makes it possible to automatically download subtitles from the internet directly on the VLC media player.
VLSub is a free plugin that comes pre-installed on the VLC media player allowing you to quickly search subtitles from within the VLC media player and choose from the best ones.
The steps to download subtitles in Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux (Ubuntu and other distros), and macOS are as follows:
Step 1: On Windows 10 or Windows 11, make sure VLSub.luac plugin is stored at C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\lua\extensions location.
On Linux: /usr/lib/vlc/lua/extensions/
on Mac OS X: /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/share/lua/extensions/
You may also download and install the latest VLC media player version, which will automatically install the VLSub plugin.
Step 2: Open VLC Media player and play a movie.
Step 3: When the movie is playing click on View > VLsub.
Step 4: In the VLsub window that opens up, type in the name of the movie and click on Search by name. Wait for a few seconds and a list of available subtitles will appear.
If you want to download subtitles for a TV Show or Series, you can enter the name of the show in the Title followed by the Season and the Episode number of the series.
If you prefer, you can also use the Search by Hash button in the VLSub dialog box. This option automatically calculates the hash for the video, finds the relevant subtitle that matches the hash, and displays it in the list from where you can select and download it.
Step 5: Select a subtitle and click on the Download Selection button to download the subtitle.
Within a few seconds, the subtitle will be downloaded and start appearing in the movie. In case the subtitles don’t appear, simply stop the movie and start it again.
Steps to Download Subtitles in VLC Media Player on iOS (iPhone and iPad)
On iOS devices, such as iPhones and iPads, you can follow these steps to download the subtitles on VLC media player for your favorite movies and TV shows.
Step 1: Open VLC media player and play a movie from you local storage or network storage.
Step 2: When the movie starts playing, tap on the subtitle icon in the player control.
Step 3: Tap on Download subtitles from OpenSubtitles.org…
Step 4: Choose or tap on the desired subtitle from the list of subtitles on the VLC player iOS device.
Step 5: The VLC Player will download the subtitle automatically. You can then select the subtitle track to view the subtitles on the movie.
The subtitles are automatically synchronized with the movie.
Steps to Download Subtitles in VLC Media Player on Android
If you use an Android tab to watch movies and use the VLC player, you can follow these steps to download the subtitles automatically.
Step 1: Open the VLC app on Android or iPad.
Step 2: Tap on the screen to view the on-screen media controls.
Step 3: On the left bottom, tap on the subtitle icon.
Step 4: Tap on Download Subtitle. The VLC media player app on Android will automatically search the subtitles using the movie file name and list the subtitle results.
Step 5: You can also manually type the movie or TV show name to search for the subtitles in the Android VLC media player app.
Conclusion
VLSub is a useful extension that makes VLC even better. Now you can watch movies and TV shows without wasting time searching the Web for the correct subtitle files. You can now download the subtitles directly on VLC media player on Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices, such as iPhones and iPads. Try it out and let us know if it works for you.
If VLSub does not find the correct subtitle, you can try adjusting the search criteria, such as ensuring the movie or TV show’s name is spelled correctly. Alternatively, you can manually search for subtitles on websites like OpenSubtitles.org and then load them into VLC.
Yes, VLSub supports downloading subtitles in multiple languages. When searching for subtitles, you can specify the language preference if the option is available, or you can manually search for subtitles in your desired language on supported subtitle websites.
Yes, VLC Media Player allows you to adjust the timing of subtitles. You can use the “Track Synchronization” feature under the “Tools” menu to delay or advance the subtitles so they are in sync with the video.
VLSub should work with most current versions of VLC Media Player, as it comes pre-installed. However, if you are using an older version of VLC, you might need to update VLC or manually install the VLSub extension to ensure compatibility.
If VLSub is not appearing in the VLC menu, ensure that the extension is correctly installed in the VLC extensions folder as outlined in the blog post. If you’re using a version of VLC that came with VLSub pre-installed, try updating VLC to the latest version. If the issue persists, you may need to manually download and install the VLSub plugin from the VLC addons website.
1 comment
Where does it save the subs though? Can’t find them