How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video

This wikiHow teaches you how to create and install a subtitle file for a downloaded video. Once you've created your subtitle file using a text editor, you can add the file to a video with free programs such as VLC or HandBrake. Open Start...
Part 1 of 4:

Creating a Subtitle File on Windows

  1. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 1How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 1
    Open Start
    How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 2How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 2
    . Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  2. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 3How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 3
    Type in Notepad. This will search your computer for the Notepad program.
  3. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 4How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 4
    Click notepad. It's at the top of the Start menu. Doing so opens Notepad, which is your computer's default text-editing program.
  4. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 5How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 5
    Enter your first subtitle's order. Type in 0, then press Enter to start a new line.
    1. For your second subtitle, you'll type in 1, the third will use 2, and so on.
  5. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 6How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 6
    Create a timestamp for your subtitle's text. Each part of the timestamp should be in HH:MM:SS.TT format, with a beginning and an end separated by spaces and a two-dash arrow as follows: HH:MM:SS.TT --> HH:MM:SS.TT.[1]
    1. For example, if you wanted to place your first subtitle on the video between 5 and 10 seconds into the video, you'd type in 00:00:05.00 --> 00:00:10.00 here. In some cases it might be required to separate seconds and milliseconds by a comma instead of a period.
  6. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 7How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 7
    Press Enter. This will create a new line, which is where your subtitle's text will go.
  7. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 8How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 8
    Enter your subtitle's text. Type in whatever you want your subtitle to say. As long as you don't press Enter at any point until you're done writing the subtitle, it will all appear on one line.
    1. You can also create a second line of text by pressing Enter once and then typing in your second line's text.
  8. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 9How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 9
    Press Enter twice. This will place a space between your previous subtitle and the place in which you'll begin your next subtitle.
  9. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 10How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 10
    Create the rest of your video's subtitles. Each subtitle will require an order number, a timestamp, at least one subtitle text line, and a blank line between it and the next order number.
  10. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 11How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 11
    Click File. It's in the top-left corner of the Notepad window. A drop-down menu will appear.
  11. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 12How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 12
    Click Save As…. You'll find this in the File drop-down menu. Doing so opens the Save As window.
  12. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 13How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 13
    Enter your video's name. For the subtitle file's name in the "File name" text field, you'll enter the name of the video for which you're creating the subtitles. The name must be identical to the name of the video as it appears on your computer (including case-sensitive information).
    1. For example, if the name of the video as it appears on your computer is "Kermit Has the Moves", you'd type in Kermit Has the Moves here.
  13. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 14How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 14
    Click the "Save as type" drop-down box. It's near the bottom of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.
  14. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 15How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 15
    Click All Files. You'll see this option in the drop-down menu.
  15. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 16How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 16
    Change the file to an SRT file. Type .srt at the end of the file's name.
    1. Using the above example, your SRT file would be named Kermit Has the Moves.srt here.
  16. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 17How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 17
    Change the encoding if your subtitles aren't in English. If you aren't using English subtitles, you'll need to do the following:
    1. Click the "Encoding" box in the bottom-right corner of the window.
    2. Click UTF-8 in the drop-down menu.
  17. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 18How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 18
    Click Save. It's at the bottom of the window. This will save your SRT file in your preferred location. Now that you've created the subtitle file, you'll need to add it to your video.
Part 2 of 4:

Creating a Subtitle File on Mac

  1. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 19How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 19
    Open Spotlight
    How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 20How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 20
    . Click the magnifying glass-shaped icon in the top-right corner of the screen. A search bar will appear.
  2. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 21How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 21
    Type in textedit. This will search your Mac for the TextEdit program.
  3. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 22How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 22
    Double-click TextEdit. It's at the top of the list of results. This will open the TextEdit program, which is your Mac's default text-editing program.
  4. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 23How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 23
    Enter your first subtitle's order. Type in 0, then press Return to start a new line.
    1. For your second subtitle, you'll type in 1, the third will use 2, and so on.
  5. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 24How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 24
    Create a timestamp for your subtitle's text. Each part of the timestamp should be in HH:MM:SS.TT format, with a beginning and an end separated by spaces and a two-dash arrow as follows: HH:MM:SS.TT --> HH:MM:SS.TT
    1. For example, if you wanted to place your first subtitle on the video between 5 and 10 seconds into the video, you'd type in 00:00:05.00 --> 00:00:10.00 here.
  6. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 25How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 25
    Press Return. This will create a new line, which is where your subtitle's text will go.
  7. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 26How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 26
    Enter your subtitle's text. Type in whatever you want your subtitle to say. As long as you don't press Return at any point until you're done writing the subtitle, it will all appear on one line.
    1. You can also create a second line of text by pressing Return once and then typing in your second line's text.
  8. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 27How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 27
    Press Return twice. This will place a space between your previous subtitle and the place in which you'll begin your next subtitle.
  9. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 28How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 28
    Create the rest of your video's subtitles. Each subtitle will require an order number, a timestamp, at least one subtitle text line, and a blank line between it and the next order number.
  10. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 29How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 29
    Click Format. It's at the top of the screen. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.
  11. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 30How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 30
    Click Make Plain Text. This is in the Format drop-down menu.
  12. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 31How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 31
    Click File. It's in the upper-left side of the screen. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.
  13. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 32How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 32
    Click Save As. This option is in the drop-down window. A Save window will open.
  14. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 33How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 33
    Enter your video's name. For the subtitle file's name, you'll need to enter the name of the video for which you're creating the subtitles. The name must be identical to the name of the video as it appears on your computer (including case-sensitive information).
  15. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 34How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 34
    Add the subtitle file's extension. After the video's name, you'll need to type .srt to replace the .txt tag there.
  16. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 35How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 35
    Click Save. It's at the bottom of the window. This will save your SRT file in your preferred location. Now that you've created the subtitle file, you'll need to add it to your video.
Part 3 of 4:

Adding the Subtitle File with VLC

  1. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 36How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 36
    Place the subtitle file in the same location as the video. You can do this by selecting the subtitle file, pressing Ctrl+C (Windows) or Command+C (Mac) to copy it, going to the folder in which your video is saved, and pressing Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac).
  2. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 37How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 37
    Open the video in VLC. This will vary slightly depending on
    1. Windows - Right-click the video, select Open with, and click VLC media player in the pop-out menu.
    2. Mac - Select the video, click File, select Open With, and click VLC in the pop-out menu.
    3. If you don't have VLC Media Player installed on your computer, you can download and install it for free.
  3. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 38How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 38
    Click the Subtitle tab. It's at the top of the VLC window. A drop-down menu will appear.
    1. On a Mac, Subtitle is at the top of the screen.
  4. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 39How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 39
    Select Sub Track. This option is in the Subtitle drop-down menu. Doing so prompts a pop-out menu.
  5. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 40How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 40
    Click Track 1. It's in the pop-out menu. You should see your subtitles appear when appropriate.
  6. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 41How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 41
    Import manually your subtitle file. If your video isn't displaying your subtitles, you can add manually their file to the video, allowing them to remain until you close VLC:
    1. Click Sub Track
    2. Click Add Subtitle File...
    3. Select your subtitle file.
    4. Click Open
Part 4 of 4:

Adding the Subtitle File with HandBrake

  1. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 42How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 42
    Open HandBrake. This app's icon resembles a pineapple next to a drink.
    1. If you don't yet have HandBrake, you can download it for free from the HandBrake website at https://handbrake.fr/.
  2. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 43How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 43
    Click File when prompted. It's in the pop-out menu on the left side of HandBrake. Doing so will open a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window.
    1. If not prompted, click Open Source in the upper-left side of the window and then click File in the resulting pop-out menu.
  3. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 44How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 44
    Select your video. Go to the location of the video to which you want to add subtitles, then click the video.
  4. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 45How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 45
    Click Open. It's in the lower-right side of the window.
  5. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 46How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 46
    Click Browse. This option is in the middle of the page. Doing so opens another window.
  6. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 47How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 47
    Enter a file name and select a save location. Type in the name that you want to use for your subtitled video, then select a folder (e.g., Desktop) in which to save the video.
  7. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 48How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 48
    Click OK. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window.
  8. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 49How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 49
    Click the Subtitles tab. You'll find this tab near the bottom of the HandBrake window.
  9. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 50How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 50
    Click Import SRT. It's on the left side of the window.
    1. On a Windows computer, you may first have to remove the default subtitle track by clicking the red X to the right of the track.
    2. On a Mac, you'll click the Tracks drop-down box and then click Add External SRT... in the resulting drop-down menu.
  10. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 51How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 51
    Select your SRT file. Find the SRT file that you created earlier, then click it.
  11. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 52How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 52
    Click Open. Doing so will add the SRT file to HandBrake.
  12. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 53How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 53
    Check the "Burn In" box. It's to the right of the subtitle file's name. This will ensure that the subtitle file always plays on the video, making the video compatible with any other video player in the future.
  13. How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 54How to Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video Picture 54
    Click Start Encode. This option is at the top of the HandBrake window. Doing so will prompt HandBrake to begin adding your subtitle file to the video.
    1. Once the encoding process is complete, your subtitled video will appear in the save location that you selected.
4 ★ | 2 Vote