Subtitles help viewers watch videos, even in noisy or quiet environments. They also provide value to foreign audiences and the hearing-impaired.

You can add subtitles to a video on Android either manually or automatically. Here’s how to do both.

How to Add Subtitles to a Video on Android Automatically

If you don’t want to do the work of manually typing out subtitles for your videos, try these automatic methods.

Adding Subtitles Automatically Using VLC

Download: VLC for Android (Free) Open the app and select the video you want to play. Tap on the screen to bring up on-screen buttons and hit the player icon at the bottom-left. Expand the Subtitles menu by tapping the down arrow next to it. Then, select Download subtitles. 3 Images Close Several subtitles will appear. Hit the download icon on any of the subtitles and they will be added to your video.

If there’s a delay in the subtitles, you can make changes within the same window or download a new subtitle pack. In case they don’t work automatically, you may need to attach them manually to play. We’ll cover this below.

Adding Subtitles Automatically Using MX Player

Download: MX Player (Free) | MX Player Pro ($5. 49) from the Google Play Store. Open the app, then you will see a list of Folders on your Android device. Select the folder with the video to open a Download menu. 2 Images Close Tap on the three horizontal dots next to your video and select Search subtitle. MX Player will search and display the subtitles of the playing video. 2 Images Close Now, tap on Online subtitles. You will see a list of subtitles for the video. Tap on the checkbox for one and hit Download. That’s all it takes—the subtitle will be added to your video automatically. 2 Images Close

Alternative Way to Add Subtitles Using MX Player

After downloading and opening MX Player, download video subtitles to your device. You can use Get Subtitles to download subtitle files for your videos, as described above. Rename the downloaded file so it has a name similar to your video (they can have different extensions, though). For example, MyVideo. srt and MyVideo. sub. Tap the menu option and hit Subtitle. Then tap Open and select the file you downloaded previously. MX Player will now play your video with subtitles. The subtitles should play automatically, but you’ll need to embed them manually if they don’t work.

It’s always a good idea to check your subtitles to make sure they appear in a clear way. Here’s how to customize subtitle settings in MX Player:

Open MX Player, then tap the Hamburger icon at the top-left. Select Local Player Settings > Subtitle. 3 Images Close Choose where to save your subtitle files, how the on-screen text should appear, preferred language, and more customizations.

Add Subtitles to a Video Using a Dedicated Subtitle Downloader

If you often watch videos on your Android device, using a dedicated app to download subtitles might be worth your consideration. Their ability to add subtitles quickly and in batches makes them more convenient if you do this often.

Note that dedicated subtitle downloaders use a video’s original name to search for subtitles automatically. Thus, you’ll need to make sure you’re using the right name for best performance.

1. Subtitle Downloader

Subtitle Downloader automatically searches for all videos on your Android device. The app also lets you rename a video so you can get accurate search results. You can use it to add subtitles manually and download subtitles in bulk—though these are premium features.

If you have lots of videos on your device and are running short on internal space, you can quickly move apps to an SD card to regain some room.

Download: Subtitle Downloader (Free) | Subtitle Downloader Pro ($0.99)

2. Get Subtitles

Get Subtitles provides a fast way to find (usually) accurate subtitles. The app automatically looks for videos on your Android device and displays them in the main interface.

Here’s how to use it:

Open the app and select Auto Search to see available videos. If you don’t see the video you’re looking for, tap on Manual Search and locate it. Tap on the video you need to subtitle and hit Subtitles Download to display a list of subtitle files. Select a subtitle and Choose a Language to download it. The subtitle will be added to your video.

Download: Get Subtitles (Free, in-app purchases available)

How to Add Subtitles to a Video on Android Manually Using VLC

Sometimes, VLC can’t find your subtitles, so you’ll need to download the subtitle file manually on your Android device. Thankfully, you can search Google for video subtitles.

Some of the popular websites that let you download subtitles for videos include Opensubtitles.org, Subscene.com, and Podnapisi.net.

After downloading the subtitle file, search it on your Android device and open it (it’s likely an .SRT file). If it’s a ZIP file, you’ll need to extract it first.

Once the file is on your Android device, follow these steps to load it up in VLC:

Open your video in the VLC app and tap on the screen to bring up the on-screen buttons. Hit the player button at the bottom-left corner. Then, expand the Subtitles menu and tap on Select subtitle file. Navigate to the location of the . srt or . sub file and select it. The subtitles should be added to your video, so you’re ready to watch it anywhere.

Adding Subtitles to Videos on Android Has Never Been Easier

In a world where sound isn’t always an option, subtitles are necessary to provide context and clarity to video content. Putting subtitles on a video using Android, as we’ve seen here, is often easier than you think.

You can either download subtitle files separately and put them on your videos, or use an app to subtitle them automatically.