Extract subtitle from an MP4 file

[Kimberly Ann]

I recently downloaded an Mp4 file with an English subtitle embedded. Is there an easy way to extract the subtitles into an .srt file?

 

[Porni]

MKVToolNix Downloads – Matroska tools for Linux/Unix and Windows

mkvtoolnix.download

 

[Kimberly Ann]

The MKVtoolNix shows me all the 'content' within the MP4 container, but nothing related to the subtitles. Do you have any guidance on how to extract the subtitles from the MP4?

 

[darksider59]

If the subtitles are burnt in the video, you can't simply extract them.

 

[submarineplayer]

You can use ffmpeg if you're familiar with command line:

1. Install ffmpeg on your computer
2. Identify Subtitle Streams:
   • Run:
     ffmpeg -i input.mp4
   • Look for lines like Stream #0:2(eng): Subtitle: subrip or similar to find the subtitle stream index (e.g., 0:2).

Extract the Subtitle Track:
For the first subtitle stream:
Replace input.mp4 with your file name and output.srt with your desired output file name. If you want a different subtitle stream, change the last number (e.g., 0:s:1 for the second stream).

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0:s:0 output.srt
​

If you are not familiar with ffmpeg and use a Mac, you can also try my app Submarine Player (https://submarineplayer.com) to generate subtitles. It does not directly extract the existing subtitles though. It can be a feature I add in the future.

 

[SamKook]

For mkvtoolnix, it can extract, but it's command line only by default so you want to use a separate GUI for extraction after installing it like https://sourceforge.net/projects/gmkvextractgui/