Before you start
- Windows version: Windows 10 22H2 (build 19045) or Windows 11, with the latest updates installed. Run
winverto check. - Download: get the installer or ZIP from the official GitHub Releases page.
- Internet access on first run: Subtitle Edit downloads its video and audio helpers (libmpv and FFmpeg) when you first need them.
- Pick one build: use the installer for a normal setup, or the portable ZIP if you have no admin rights or want to run it from a USB stick.
Install with the setup file
- Run the setup fileDouble-click
SubtitleEdit-Windows-x64-Setup.exein your Downloads folder. If Windows asks whether to allow the app to make changes, choose Yes. - Follow the wizardAccept the license (MIT), keep the suggested install folder unless you need another one, and choose whether to create a desktop shortcut. The exact screens can change slightly between releases.
- Finish and launchLeave "Launch Subtitle Edit" ticked on the last page, or start it from the Start menu.
- Accept the helper downloadsWhen you first open a video, Subtitle Edit offers to download libmpv (video playback) and FFmpeg (waveform and audio). Accept both.
Where does the installed version keep its files?
Settings, dictionaries, OCR data and the downloaded helpers are stored in %APPDATA%\Subtitle Edit. Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D in Subtitle Edit to open that folder.
Portable installation (ZIP)
- Unblock the ZIPRight-click
SubtitleEdit-Windows-x64.zip, choose Properties, tick Unblock if you see it, and click OK. This stops Windows from flagging every file you extract. - Extract to a writable folderRight-click the ZIP and choose Extract All…. Pick a folder you own, such as
C:\Tools\SubtitleEdit,Documentsor a USB drive. Do not useC:\Program Files, because the portable build writes its settings next to the program. - Run the programOpen the extracted folder and start the Subtitle Edit executable. You can pin it to the taskbar if you like.
The portable build keeps settings and downloaded helpers in its own folder. To move your setup to another PC, copy the whole folder.
Setup and configuration
Open . The settings window has a search box, so you can type a word like "waveform" or "encoding" to find an option. These are the settings worth checking first:
| Settings section | What to set | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Video Player | Choose mpv (libmpv). Download it here if you skipped the prompt. | libmpv is the recommended player. VLC is supported but with limited features. |
| Waveform/Spectrogram | Download FFmpeg if asked. Choose a waveform style and turn on snap to shot changes if you want it. | Without FFmpeg, no waveform is drawn. |
| General | Turn on Auto-convert encoding to UTF-8 on open. Set the default duration and the auto-backup interval. | Prevents garbled accented characters and protects your work against crashes. |
| Subtitle Formats | Set the default format (e.g. SubRip .srt) and pin your favorite formats and languages. | Keeps the formats you use most at the top of the Save As list. |
| Rules | Pick a rules profile: max characters per line, reading speed (CPS), minimum gap. | Lines that break the rules are highlighted in the subtitle grid. |
| Tools | Choose a spell-check engine and dictionary, and default OCR and speech-to-text options. | Used by spell check, OCR and automatic fixes. |
| Appearance | Theme, icon theme, UI scaling and fonts for the grid and text box. | Makes the program comfortable to use on high-DPI screens. |
| Other | File associations (Windows), network proxy, update channel. | Controls which files open in Subtitle Edit and lets downloads work behind a proxy. |
Optional add-ons you can download later
- Tesseract / PaddleOCR: text recognition for image-based subtitles. Offered from the OCR window when you first need them. See the OCR guide.
- Whisper engines (Whisper.cpp, Purfview Faster-Whisper and others): speech-to-text for generating subtitles from audio.
- yt-dlp: lets you open online videos.
Use the built-in downloaders
Subtitle Edit has a downloader for each helper and knows which versions it works with. The project says that manually installed versions are not officially supported and may make the program unstable.
Common installation errors
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A .NET runtime error, or the app closes as soon as it starts | Windows 10 is older than 22H2, or is missing updates. | Run Windows Update until no updates are left, then check winver shows 22H2 (build 19045) or newer. |
| "Windows protected your PC" (SmartScreen) | SmartScreen warns about files that few people have downloaded yet, which happens often with new releases. | First confirm the file came from github.com/SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit. Then click More info → Run anyway. Never override this warning for a file from another site. |
| Antivirus deletes or quarantines the file | Heuristic detection of a new, unsigned or rarely seen executable (a false positive). | Download the file again from the official page, scan it with an online multi-engine scanner, restore it from quarantine if it is clean, and report the false positive to your antivirus vendor. |
| Portable version won't save settings, or shows "access denied" | It was extracted to a protected folder such as C:\Program Files. |
Move the folder to one you own, such as C:\Tools or Documents. |
| Security warnings on many files after extracting | The ZIP carried Windows' "downloaded from the internet" mark. | Delete the extracted folder, open the ZIP's Properties, tick Unblock, and extract again. |
| "This app can't run on your PC" | Wrong architecture: the ARM64 build on an x64 PC, or the reverse. | Check Settings → System → About → System type and download the matching build. |
| FFmpeg or libmpv download fails | A firewall, proxy or network filter is blocking GitHub downloads. | Set the proxy under (network section), or try another network. |
For problems after installation (black video, no waveform, conflicts with other software), see Compatibility and troubleshooting.
Updating and uninstalling
- Update (installer): download the new setup file and run it over the existing install. Your settings in
%APPDATA%\Subtitle Editare kept. - Update (portable): extract the new ZIP to a new folder, then copy your settings files across from the old folder. Keep the old folder until you're sure everything works.
- Uninstall: go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find Subtitle Edit, and choose Uninstall. For the portable build, delete its folder.
- Remove everything: after uninstalling, delete
%APPDATA%\Subtitle Editto remove settings and downloaded helpers.