Add Subtitles to Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is the default audio and video player for all devices that run the Windows Operating System. While the Windows Media Player is more than adequate to support all the basic audio and video formats, adding external subtitles can be tricky business. You may have to modify the external subtitle file or use a third-party software to add subtitles to Windows Media Player.

Steps

Renaming the Subtitle File

  1. Move the subtitle file to the folder where the video is located. Move or copy the external subtitle file to the folder of the video file you wish to add the subtitles to.
  2. Rename the subtitle file to the name of the video file. Right click on the subtitle file and click on “Rename.” Type in the name which has been given for the video file and press “Enter.”
  3. Open the video in Windows Media Player. Right click on the video file and click on “Play with Windows Media Player”. You can also double click on the video file if Windows Media Player is your default audio and video player.
  4. Make sure that Windows Media Player is set to display subtitles. Right click on the bar near the top of the Media Player and move the cursor over “Lyrics, captions and subtitles” and select “On if available.” Close the Windows Media Player and restart it to view your videos with captions.[1]

Installing Add-On Software

  1. Download DirectVobSub. The DirectVobSub is popular open-source software for Windows which fixes the problem of subtitles not being displayed in Windows Media Player.
    • Download and DirectVobSub from the official software download page. The software is available for both, Windows 32 bit as well as 64 bit versions, so make sure you download the one that supports your operating system.
    • Run a security scan when you download the DirectVobSub from any source online. This will ensure that the file is not corrupted by viruses or malicious adware.
  2. Install DirectVobSub. Once the setup file has been downloaded, double click the setup file and let the installation process begin. Once the installation process finishes, Windows Media Player should display the subtitles without a problem.
  3. Rename the subtitle file format as “.sub”. If Windows Media Player does not recognize the subtitles even after installing DirectVobSub, you may have to change the format of the subtitle file. Right click on the subtitle file, click on “Rename” and change the “.srt” at the end of the file name to “.sub”.

Tips

  • Even after changing the subtitle file name, changing the format of the subtitle file and installing DirectVobSub, Windows Media Player may not display the subtitles in the videos. You can always download another media player such as VLC Player or KMPlayer, which offer more options for captions and subtitles.


Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/this-is-how-you-can-add-external-subtitles-on-windows-media-player/
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Add_Subtitles_to_Windows_Media_Player&oldid=295345"