Extract subtitles from video the track inside an MKV or MP4, as SRT.
Pick an MKV, WebM, MP4 or MOV file and see every subtitle track it carries, with language, name and the default or forced flag. Each text track downloads as SRT, VTT or ASS, or grab them all in one ZIP. Picture-based tracks such as PGS and VobSub are detected and explained.
Free, no sign-upEach file name carries the track number and language (movie.1.eng.srt), the pattern players recognize.
No subtitles in the video? We transcribe the speech and you download the SRT. Try it with my video
How to extract subtitles from a video
- 01
Pick the video
MKV, WebM, MP4, M4V or MOV, any size: the file is read in parts, never opened whole.
- 02
Check the tracks
Every track shows its language, name, format and first lines, so you can find the right one.
- 03
Download SRT, VTT or ASS
One track at a time or all of them in a ZIP. ASS tracks can keep their original styling.
How do I extract embedded subtitles from an MKV file?
MKV is a container: inside it live the video, one or more audio tracks and as many subtitle tracks as the author added. That is why a movie in MKV often carries English, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles, sometimes two versions of the same language: full and forced. Your player shows a subtitle menu, but no button to save a track as a file.
Here you pick the MKV and see the whole list. Each track shows its language, the name the author gave it, the format and its first lines with timing. Text tracks (SRT, ASS, SSA and WebVTT) come out with the exact timing of every subtitle, to the millisecond, because we copy what is stored instead of reprocessing it.
| Format inside the video | Where you see it | Comes out as |
|---|---|---|
| SRT (S_TEXT/UTF8) | MKV | SRT, VTT or ASS |
| ASS / SSA | Anime and fansub MKVs | Styled ASS, SRT or VTT |
| WebVTT | WebM and MKV | VTT with positions, SRT or ASS |
| Timed Text (mov_text) | MP4, M4V and MOV | SRT, VTT or ASS |
| PGS and VobSub | Blu-ray and DVD rips | Images, no text here |
Can I extract subtitles from MP4 and MOV?
Yes, when the subtitles are stored as a track. In MP4 and MOV the usual text format is Timed Text, also called mov_text or tx3g: it is what iPhone, QuickTime and many converters use for subtitles you can turn on and off. It comes out as SRT with italics and bold kept.
If the subtitles are always on and cannot be switched off, they were burned into the picture. Then there is no track to extract: the text became pixels. To get an SRT for that video, the speech has to be transcribed again.
Forced, default and SDH subtitles: which track do I need?
A forced track holds only what everyone must see: foreign-language dialogue, signs and on-screen text. A full track holds every line. An SDH track (subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing) also describes sounds and who is speaking, like [music] or [door slams]. The default track is the one the player turns on by itself.
Since the same language can appear two or three times, we show the flags and the first lines of each track. That way you do not grab the forced track thinking it is the full one. In the ZIP, every file name already tells the track number, the language and whether it is forced.
- movie.1.eng.srt: the full English track
- movie.2.eng.forced.srt: only foreign lines and signs
- movie.3.eng.sdh.srt: English with sounds described
Why won't PGS or VobSub subtitles convert to SRT?
PGS (Blu-ray), VobSub (DVD) and DVB (digital TV) store each subtitle as a transparent picture drawn over the video. There are no letters in the file, just pixels. Turning that into SRT takes optical character recognition, letter by letter, followed by a human review, because italics and accents trip up the reading.
This tool does not do that recognition. It detects the track, shows its language and explains what it is, so you do not waste time looking for text that is not there.
More than extracting subtitles. When the video has none, we create them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I extract subtitles from an MKV video?
Pick the file on this page. The list shows every subtitle track with language and format. Click SRT, VTT or ASS on the track you want, or download them all as a ZIP. No software to install and no video conversion.
Does it work with large files of several GB?
Yes. We never open the whole video at once: the file is read in parts and the video and audio are skipped. In MP4 we go straight to the subtitle samples. A large MKV is read from start to end with a progress bar and a cancel button.
Will the extracted subtitles stay in sync with the video?
Yes. We copy the start and end of each subtitle exactly as stored in the file, with no reprocessing. If the player showed the track in sync, the downloaded SRT is in sync with that same video.
Why does my video show no tracks?
Either the subtitles are burned into the picture, they come as a separate .srt file next to the video, or the file is not MKV, WebM, MP4 or MOV. Burned-in subtitles cannot be extracted: the speech has to be transcribed again.
Does the extracted ASS keep fonts, colors and positions?
Yes. When the original track is ASS or SSA, the file keeps its header with styles and resolution, and every line keeps its layer, style, margins and effects. SRT and VTT keep only the text, italics, bold and underline.
Can I edit or translate the subtitles afterwards?
Yes. Open the SRT in the subtitle editor to fix text and timing, or use the subtitle translator. To change formats, use the subtitle converter.
Video without subtitles? We transcribe it and hand you the SRT.
Upload the video or paste a YouTube link. We transcribe every word and you download the SRT, the text and captioned clips.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.