How to copy the subtitles of a video

You have recently seen several splendid subtitled films, perhaps with the good purpose of improving your command of a foreign language. Or, as a great cinephile enthusiast you are, you simply like to be able to grasp the original acting of a film: while watching it, then, it occurred to you that it might be useful to have the text version of the dialogues to reread them more calmly or, possibly, to be able to edit and apply them later to a better version of the movie in question.

Not being very familiar with these procedures, therefore, you started looking online for instructions on how to copy the subtitles of a video and, finally, you landed here, on this guide: well, today is your lucky day! In fact, in the next paragraphs I will show you different methods to extract the textual transposition of a video in a special file that you can easily reuse when needed.

Whether it’s a movie already on your computer, or a video just viewed on the famous YouTube platform, in this guide you will find all the information you need. Don’t worry, it’s nothing particularly complex. It will only take you a few minutes of your precious time to realize how simple it is to extract subtitles from different types of movies. So, are you ready? Perfect! I just have to wish you good reading and good continuation.

Index

• How to extract subtitles from MP4 video
  • MkvToolNix (Windows / macOS / Linux)
  • Subtitle Edit (Windows)
• How to copy the subtitles of a YouTube video

How to extract subtitles from MP4 video

Before proceeding to the explanation of how to extract subtitles from an MP4 video (or even MKV, the instructions to follow are the same), I believe it is essential to make some premises in this regard. First, it is important to distinguish between hardsub and softsub subtitles.

The former are those superimposed in the video and are essentially an integral part of it: it follows that it is not possible to copy them except by manually transcribing them during playback, as they are not separable from the video source (or extracting them via OCR, with a lot of effort).

Softsub subtitles, on the other hand, are recorded in special files external to the video (or external but included in the video container, which can be, for example, in MKV or MP4 format ): the latter usually have .srt, .sub or . ssa and allow you to synchronize subtitles with the movie. They can be activated or deactivated freely by the viewer through specific functions present in the multimedia player used for playback. In this case it is possible to easily operate on the content to extract it, to be able to consult it, edit it or add it to another video.

To understand which subtitles you are dealing with, therefore, just check if the player you are using to play the video allows you to add and disable them as you wish. If so, it is possible to proceed with the solutions that I am about to propose to you in the next chapters: it is, in fact, software suitable for extracting subtitles for MKV or MP4 formats. The latter, as already mentioned, are real containers capable of incorporating different multimedia formats in a single file.

The task of the programs that I am about to illustrate to you + precisely that of extracting only the information relating to the subtitles, separating them from the rest of the material. Good fun!

MkvToolNix (Windows / macOS / Linux)

The first solution I want to talk to you about is MkvToolNix: it is a free and open source program compatible with Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems which, thanks to the integration of an add-on, allows, with a few simple commands, to extrapolate subtitles softsub from the video source.

First of all, download the main software by connecting to this page and press on the link corresponding to your operating system: for example, if you use ‌Windows, press on the relevant link, then on the item for download from fosshub.com and, finally, MKVToolNix Windows installer (64-bit) (or 32-bit, if you use a 32-bit operating system ).

Then wait for the executable to download and, if your operating system is Windows, double-click the mkvtoolnix [version] .exe file to start the installation. To continue, click on the Yes button, then click on the OK button and, in the following steps, press the Next button twice and once on Install. At the end of the installation, click on the Next button and complete the operation by clicking on Close.

If you are using a Mac, instead, click on the MkvToolNix [version] .dmg package you just downloaded and drag the program icon to the Applications folder. Next, access the aforementioned folder and right-click on the MkvToolNix icon, then press the Open option twice in a row: in this way the software can be started by bypassing the limitations imposed by Apple on developers not certified.

Now it’s time to install the plugin I mentioned earlier: for the Windows operating system you will need to install gMKVExtractGUI, easily available from this page. To proceed, click on the latest version available, then, on the next page, press the MKVExtractGUI [version] 7z file to download it.

Next, you will have to copy the aforementioned file into the MkvToolNix program folder and extract it inside. If you haven’t changed the path during installation, the default path is C:> Program Files> MKVToolNix.

The additional plugin for the macOS operating system, on the other hand, is called Inviska MKV Extract and you can find it on this page, by clicking on the Mac 64-bit version to start the download. Once you have the file .pkgclick on it twice to start the installation, then press the Continue button twice and press the Install button. When done, click the Close button.

Now everything is ready for subtitle extraction: double click on the plugin you just downloaded, to start the program and access the main screen. From here to import the video you will have to drag the relative file into the white box called Input Files: the program will automatically break down the container into its various elements, including those relating to subtitles. To select those of your interest, therefore, simply click on the box on the side to insert the checkmark in correspondence with the element you want to extract.

Next, click on the Browse button, at the bottom right, and define the destination folder of the previously selected files. Finally, press the Extract button ( Begin on Mac) to perform the operation: you can monitor the progress of the process using the indicator at the bottom left, whose completion you will be notified by a specific application message.

Subtitle Edit (Windows)

Another very intuitive solution is that offered by the Subtitle Edit software, also free but compatible only with Windows.

First, connect to this page and click on the latest version available, to download the executable, then double-click on the .zip file to extract the content and then double-click on the file SubtitleEdit [version] Setup.exe, to begin the installation.

On the first screen, press the Yes button, then, in the next window, press the OK button. In the next step, click on the option I accept the terms of the license agreement and press the Next button four times, then presses on the Install item to start the process. At the end, you will have to click once again on the Next button and, afterwards, you will have to press the Finish button to complete the operation.

Now, launch the software by double-clicking on the icon that is generated on the desktop. From the main program screen, click on the File> Open menu (top left) and choose the video of your interest.

In this phase you will be shown the list of subtitles found inside the MKV or MP4 container and, in case there are more languages, you will simply have to click on the version you want to obtain and press the OK button to confirm the operation. Wait, therefore, for the processing of the content in question, which you can monitor using the progress indicator located at the bottom left.

The subtitles will be loaded in a special table located at the top left and, to select them all, you will have to click on the Edit> Select all menu: you will notice that all the rows and columns will be highlighted. Now you can save the file: click on the File> Export> Plain Text menu and you will be shown a window where you can manage the subtitle export options.

I suggest you select the Merge all lines or Unbreak Lines mode in the Format Text box to get a clearer view of the text (in any case, before proceeding, you can preview the goodness of the choice in the left pane called Preview ).

Optionally, you can decide to also enter the number of lines by adding the checkmark next to Show Line Numbers and the time indicator by acting in the same way on the Show Time code item. Once this is done, hit the Save as button, then define the location where you want to save the text file and click the Save button. Easy, right?

How to copy the subtitles of a YouTube video

You have found a very interesting video on YouTube and you are wondering if it is possible to access a text version of its subtitles, to consult at will. Well, I have great news for you! Also in this case, in fact, if the uploaded content includes the integration of a file dedicated to subtitles, it is possible to extract them using a special function made available by the platform.

It is not absolutely difficult, in fact, to understand how to copy the subtitles of a YouTube video, but I must warn you that it is possible to use them only by accessing the website, while for the mobile version this possibility is not provided.

First you need to make sure they are present in softsub format. After logging in to the service and starting the movie in question, check that there is an icon with a white box inside which there are two lines and two dots, located at the bottom right of the player: if so, the subtitles have been created in a separate file and by clicking on the aforementioned button you can activate them.

Now, click on the three dots symbol (bottom right) and click on the Open transcript option, in order to open a box dedicated to subtitles to the right of the video. Here you can select the desired language from those available via the drop-down menu located at the bottom.

In addition, if you wish, you can remove the time indicator to the right of the individual lines of text by clicking on the three vertical dots (at the top) and pressing the Enable / disable timestamp item.

To copy the text, all you have to do is click before the initial letter and, holding down the left mouse button, scroll to the end of the box. Once all the subtitles have been selected, right-click on any portion of the box in question and click on the Copy option.

Then start your favorite text editor and create a new document. Next, press the right mouse button on an empty area of ​​the latter and select the Paste item, then save the new file.

I sincerely hope that the instructions provided in this guide helped you to extract subtitles from your favorite videos or movies, but you should know that, alternatively, you can also download them separately through special sites and programs, of which I have described the operation in this tutorial.