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Plex is a media streaming platform that allows you to watch movies, tv shows, and personal videos from any device. If you have media files with embedded subtitles or a separate sidecar caption file, you can view the closed captions and foreign subtitles on your device during playback.
This article will explain how to add closed captions and subtitles to your local media files on Plex to display when you open them on your devices.
Preparing Your Plex Library
In order to use local subtitles (embedded subtitles or external subtitle files), you’ll need to configure the Local Media Assets source.
To do this, open Plex. Go to SETTINGS. Select your media server. Choose AGENTS. Select the library type and agent to change. Check the ‘Local Media Assets’ and put it at the top of the list.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll need to refresh the entire library. Find “Refresh All Metadata” and perform this action.
Subtitle Formats Supported in Plex
The following subtitle formats are supported by Plex and are compatible during playback for both external subtitle files and embedded tracks:
- .SRT, .SMI, .SSA, .ASS, .VTT
You can get closed captions and foreign subtitles for your Plex videos from Rev.
Embedded Subtitles
Media files that have subtitle tracks embedded in them are a way to package up closed captions and subtitles for your media files. It will require you to use software and take some time, and there’s no particular reason to do this method over the sidecar caption method below.
You can embed captions and subtitles into your media files with tools like Handbrake, as well as from your video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.
External Subtitle Files
If you’re uploading sidecar caption and subtitle files separate of the media file to Plex, you’ll want to be sure they are named properly.
Media File Naming
Your Movie files should be named like this.
- Movie_Name (Release Date)
Subtitle Naming
And your subtitle files should then be named:
- Movie_Name (Release Date).[Language_Code].ext
- Movies/Movie_Name (Release Date).[Language_Code].ext
TV Show subtitles should be named like this:
- TV Shows/Show_Name/Season XX/Show_Name SxxEyy.[Language_Code].ext
If you are including a “forced subtitle” track for sequences of a language foreign to the viewer, you’ll want to format the names as such:
- Movie_Name (Release Date).[Language_Code].forced.ext
- Movies/Movie_Name (Release Date).[Language_Code].forced.ext
Getting Captions For Plex Media Files
If you need closed captions and foreign subtitles for your TV shows, movies, and videos in Plex, use Rev.com. With Rev, you get closed caption files supported by Plex (.SRT, .VTT) as well as several foreign language subtitles to translate your English content.
You even have the option to burn-in captions onto your media files, so you don’t have to worry about uploading external caption files or embedding them; when burned in they are always on and can’t be turned off.