Windows Media Player is the default video and audio player in Windows operating system. As much as it is a suitable player for the main video and audio formats, adding subtitles to videos can be a bit complicated, requiring you to modify the subtitle file or even use other software to put the subtitles in Windows Media Player.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Renaming the Subtitle File
Step 1. Move the subtitle file to the folder where the video is
Move or copy the subtitle file to the folder where the video you want to add the subtitle is.
Step 2. Rename the subtitle file as the video file name
Click on the subtitle file with the right mouse button, click “Rename” and type the same name as the video file, hitting “Enter” when finished.
Step 3. Open the video in Windows Media Player
Right-click on the video and click “Open with Windows Media Player”, or just double click on the file if Windows Media Player is your default video player.
Step 4. Enable subtitle display
Right-click on the bar at the top of the application, move the cursor to “Play”, “Lyrics, subtitles and subtitles” and select “On if available”. Close Windows Media Player and open the video again to watch it with the subtitle.
Method 2 of 2: Installing Software to Add Subtitles
Step 1. Download DirectVobSub
This open source software for Windows is a good alternative to solve the problem of subtitles not appearing in Windows Media Player.
- Download DirectVobSub from the official download page. Choose the software version according to your operating system, Windows 32-bit or 64-bit.
- Examine the DirectVobSub file you downloaded with an antivirus to ensure it is not corrupted by viruses or other malware.
Step 2. Install DirectVobSub
After downloading the installer, double-click the file and start the installation process. Once installed, Windows Media Player should display subtitles correctly.
Step 3. Rename the subtitle format as “.sub”
If Windows Media Player does not display subtitles even after installing DirectVobSub, right-click the subtitle file, select “Rename” and replace the “.srt” extension at the end of the filename with “.sub”.