How to Download Subtitles Automatically in VLC

VLC is the undisputed king of video playback on PC. There simply is no equal, which is helped by the fact that despite VLC almost never changing its interface, it’s constantly being updated in small and thoughtful ways. Integrated subtitle downloading is one example of this.

It used to be the case that you had to download the extension VLSub to download subtitles on VLC, but the handy feature is now fully integrated into the player.

These instructions will show how to use the excellent Download Subtitle feature on VLC.

Download Subtitles on VLC Desktop

1. Open the VLC and load a video. Under the View menu, you should now see a “VLSub” option. (In some versions of VLC, this is called “Download Subtitles.”)

2. In the VLSub window, you can select the subtitle language and add the title of the movie. Click the “Search by name” button to fetch all the related subtitles from OpenSubtitles.org.

If you prefer, you can use the “Search by hash” button where it will calculate the hash for the video and find the subtitle that matches this hash. If you have converted the video from one format to another or modified it, the hash method won’t work well.

3. When you find a match in the result list, highlight it and click “Download selection.” It will then show a blue “Download link,” which you can click to open the “Save As” box. (If your PC asks how you want to open the link, just select your browser.)

In the “Save As” box, choose the location where you want to download the subtitle file. (The default location is the location of the currently playing video.) Once that is done, you will be able to load the subtitle file in VLC.

Download Subtitles on VLC Android App

Other than the desktop app, you can download subtitles with its Android app too. The good thing about the VLC Android app is that you do not require any additional add-ons to download subtitles.

There is a built-in feature in the VLC Android app that lets you download subtitles pretty easily. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open any movie in the VLC Android app.

2. Tap on the screen to show the on-screen buttons.

3. Tap on the subtitle button located on the left corner of the screen .

4. Tap on the drop-down button next to the Subtitles menu and click on the “Download subtitles” button.

5. It will automatically start searching for the subtitle based on the name of the video you are playing.

6. You can also manually search for the subtitle. Further, you can search by a specific season or episode if you want subtitles for a TV series.

If you’re looking for more VLC-related tips, here’s how to rotate a video in VLC and how to control VLC with your Android phone. We can also show you how to transcode media files using VLC Player.