Free tool
Add subtitles in VLC
To add subtitles in VLC, make an SRT from your video with the free generator below, then open the video and choose Subtitle > Add Subtitle File... (Subtitles on a Mac). Or keep the SRT beside the video under the same name, and VLC loads it as the video opens.
- Free
- Named to match your video
- Nothing is stored
Drop your video or audio file here, or Choose your video or audio file
MP4, MOV, MKV or WebM video, or MP3, M4A or WAV audio. Up to 30 minutes of each file, 3 free files a day. The language is detected automatically.
Watching recorded meetings and lectures in VLC? NoteOwl transcribes recordings on your Mac, unlimited, and saves SRT subtitles that name each speaker.
How it works
How do you make an SRT for a video you play in VLC?
Drop the video on the generator and its sound becomes numbered subtitles, each timed from the first second of the file. Check them in the preview, then save the SRT and move it into the folder where the video lives.
- 1
Drop in the video
MP4, MKV, MOV or WebM: the same copy you’ll play in VLC.
- 2
Read the preview
Every subtitle is listed with its times. The first 30 minutes of each file are subtitled.
- 3
Put it beside the video
Download SRT names the file after the video, which is exactly what VLC looks for.
How do you load an SRT file in VLC?
Open the video in VLC, go to the Subtitle menu and choose Add Subtitle File..., then pick the SRT. On a Mac the menu is called Subtitles. On Windows and Linux you can also attach the SRT before playback, through Media > Open Multiple Files.
- Windows and Linux
- Menu pathSubtitle > Add Subtitle File...
- Mac
- Menu pathSubtitles > Add Subtitle File...
- Before playing (Windows and Linux)
- Menu pathMedia > Open Multiple Files > Use a subtitle file > Browse...
| Computer | Menu path |
|---|---|
| Windows and Linux | Subtitle > Add Subtitle File... |
| Mac | Subtitles > Add Subtitle File... |
| Before playing (Windows and Linux) | Media > Open Multiple Files > Use a subtitle file > Browse... |
How do you make VLC load subtitles automatically?
Give the SRT the same name as the video and keep both in one folder, such as holiday.mp4 and holiday.srt. VLC’s Autodetect subtitle files setting, on by default, then picks the subtitles up as the video opens. It also checks a subs or subtitles folder beside it.
The download from this page already carries the video’s name (talk.mov gives talk.srt), so the only step left is moving it from your downloads into the video’s folder.
The same trick works for .vtt, .ass, .ssa, .sbv and .sub files: VLC searches for those extensions too.
Why do accented letters look wrong in VLC subtitles?
Because VLC is reading the file in a different text encoding from the one it was saved in. The SRT from this page is UTF-8. For an older file with broken accents, on Windows, set Tools > Preferences > Subtitles / OSD > Default encoding to the encoding it was written in.
Another way round: open the old file in a text editor, save it again as UTF-8, and load it in VLC once more.
Which subtitle formats can VLC open?
VideoLAN’s documentation lists .cdg, .idx, .srt, .sub, .utf, .ass, .ssa, .aqt, .jss, .psb, .rt and .smi, and VLC’s automatic search also covers .vtt and .sbv. SRT is the plainest of them, and the one this page saves first; VTT is one click away.
What if the subtitles run early or late in VLC?
Usually the SRT was made from a different cut. Its times count from the first second of the file it came from, so a trimmed copy runs out of step. Make the SRT again from the file you play, or move every subtitle with the subtitle shifter.
Can VLC subtitles show who is speaking?
They can when the SRT comes from NoteOwl on your Mac. It transcribes recordings you import with on-device AI models, unlimited, and saves SRT files with the speaker’s name before their words, so VLC shows who is talking in every subtitle.
FAQ
Questions about subtitles in VLC
Why doesn’t VLC show my subtitles?
For automatic loading, the SRT’s name must match the video’s exactly apart from the extension, and it must sit in the same folder or in a subs or subtitles folder beside it. Otherwise load it by hand with Add Subtitle File... in the Subtitle menu.
Can VLC play VTT subtitles?
Yes. .vtt is among the subtitle extensions VLC looks for, so a WebVTT file named like the video is found the same way as an SRT. This page saves both, with the same subtitles and times.
Will the subtitles still be there when I send the video to someone?
Only if the SRT travels with it. VLC shows the subtitle file next to the video, so send both, with matching names. To have the words in the picture in any player, burn the subtitles into the video before sending it.
Can I get the subtitles in another language?
The generator writes them in the language spoken in the video; it doesn’t translate. Translate the finished SRT with a subtitle translator, then load the translated file in VLC the same way.
How long a video can I subtitle?
The generator subtitles up to 30 minutes of every file and handles 3 files a day. A film-length video gets subtitles for its opening part only; NoteOwl on a Mac transcribes full-length recordings.
Is my video sent anywhere?
Not the video. The page reads it in your browser and passes short pieces of the soundtrack to a cloud AI transcription service, which turns each into text and then discards it. The SRT is assembled in the page; NoteOwl keeps no copy of anything.
Keep exploring
More subtitle generator tools
- Subtitle generatorA free AI subtitle generator: drop in a video or recording and download SRT or VTT subtitles timed to the speech, two short lines per cue; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Subtitles for QuickTime PlayerQuickTime Player won’t open an SRT beside a video: make one here, then play it in VLC or put a subtitle track inside the movie
- Subtitles for ClipchampClipchamp’s help covers its own autocaptions, not importing a file: what to do with an SRT you already have
- Subtitles for LoomLoom says it can’t take a subtitle file: fix its own captions through the transcript, or caption your own copy of the recording with an SRT made here
- Subtitles for YouTubeMake an SRT file from your video free in the browser, then upload it in YouTube Studio under Subtitles, step by step
Subtitles that name every speaker, from your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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