PotPlayer is super handy and flexible when it comes to playing media. It’s got loads of cool features that make it a top pick for lots of folks, especially if you’re not that into VLC. One thing that’s really neat about PotPlayer is how it deals with subtitles. It can grab them and get them ready to go with your videos pretty smartly. While VLC and others are known for doing something similar, each player does its own thing a bit differently. If you’re keen on getting subtitles to work smoothly in PotPlayer, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get subtitles synced up, showing right, and making your video watching just that much better with PotPlayer.
Also see: How to add subtitles to video in Windows 11
Page Contents
1. Adding subtitles to a video in PotPlayer
To make sure PotPlayer finds the subtitle file you’ve got for your video, you’ll want to name them the same and keep them together. PotPlayer looks at the video file’s name to find the matching subtitle.
- Keep your video and subtitle files in the same folder.
- Give your subtitle file the same name as your video file. Like, if your video is called “VideoName.mp4“, name your subtitle “VideoName.srt“.
Useful tip: Convert SRT to 3D Subtitles and add them to 3D Movies
Adding multiple subtitle files of different languages to PotPlayer
PotPlayer can tell different subtitles apart by looking at extra words at the end of the subtitle file names. This is great if you’ve got subtitles in different languages or versions for the same video.
- For a video called “MovieName.mp4” with English and Chinese subtitles, name them “MovieName.english.srt” and “MovieName.chinese.srt“.
- PotPlayer will then pick up both subtitle files when you play the video.
To switch between subtitles:
- Start your video in PotPlayer.
- Right-click in the player window.
- Go to “Subtitles” and then “Add/Select Subtitles“.
- You’ll see a list of subtitles. Pick the one you want, like English or Chinese.
Tip: This lets you choose from different subtitle languages or versions, making it awesome for watching stuff in other languages.
Related resource: How to Download Subtitles in VLC on Windows 11
2. Setting up PotPlayer to auto load subtitles
Normally, PotPlayer will grab subtitles on its own if they’re named right, like we mentioned before. But if it’s not doing that, you might need to flick a switch to make it look for and use subtitles automatically during playback.
- Open PotPlayer.
- Right-click anywhere inside its window to get a menu.
- Mouse over “Subtitles” for more options.
- Check that “Show/hide Subtitles” or something similar is turned on.
Now, PotPlayer will always check for and load a subtitle file that matches your video.
Handy guide: How to Watch Netflix with Dual Subtitles
3. Manually adding subtitles (if needed)
If subtitles aren’t coming up on their own, or you want to use a different subtitle file:
- Get your video going in PotPlayer.
- Right-click in the player.
- Go to “Subtitles“, then “Add/Select Subtitles“, and click “Load Subtitle“.
- Find your subtitle file, pick it, and hit “Open”.
Your chosen subtitle will show up with your video. You can tweak the sync or style from the “Subtitles” menu as needed.
See also: How to Merge Subtitles With Video Permanently
4. Synchronizing subtitles in PotPlayer
Found your subtitles a bit off time with the video? No worries, PotPlayer has easy fixes to get them aligned:
- Watch your video and check the subtitle timing.
- Right-click in PotPlayer and hover over “Subtitles“.
- Then, go to “Subtitle Sync” for options like:
- “Increase Subtitle Sync by 0.5 Sec” if subtitles are too slow.
- “Decrease Subtitle Sync by 0.5 Sec” if they’re too fast.
- And if you need bigger changes, there are options for adjusting by 5 or even 50 seconds.
- Pick what fits your situation and adjust until it looks right.
- You can also use shortcut keys for quick tweaks:
- > or . to speed subtitles up by 0.5 seconds.
- < or , to slow them down by 0.5 seconds.
5. Customizing subtitle appearance in PotPlayer
PotPlayer lets you change how subtitles look so they’re just right for you:
- Right-click in the player.
- Mouse over “Subtitles“, go to “Subtitle Style“, and then “Subtitle Font Style Settings“.
- In the settings window, you can play around with:
- Font style, size, and color.
- Background color and how see-through it is.
- Where the subtitles sit on the screen.
- Hit “OK” when you’re done to make it all happen.
Tip: Bright fonts with a little shadow or black outline usually pop out nicely against any background.
Final thoughts
PotPlayer doesn’t just make it easy to get subtitles going for your videos, it also gives you all the tools to make them sync up, look good, and be in the right place. The latest versions even have a subtitle search right in the player, making it super easy to find and add them from inside PotPlayer. It’s these thoughtful features that really set PotPlayer apart from other media players out there.
