How to get Subtitles on Local Video Casts on Chromecast

The support for local video casts and streaming was added to Chromecast officially by Google. This feature allows watching downloaded shows and movies without using third-party extensions. However, there is one big issue. It does not support subtitles. Moreover, the famous VLC app cannot show subtitles on Chromecast either. In this guide, learn how to get Subtitles on Chromecast with local video casts and streams.

Why do Subtitles not work with Chromecast Local Files

Before continuing, lets understand how subtitles really work. The most common format for subtitles on downloaded files is .srt. Normally, when someone, for example wants to watch a movie or show’s episode on VLC, they’d either just drag the subtitle into VLC Player or change its title to same as video files. It enables the subtitle in video.

However, when casting local video files to Chromecast, the srt file is not picked up. It only casts the original video files. Be it mkv, MP4 or any other format. The reason for this is that VLC player or Chromecast extension on browser does not support subtitle srt files.

When a user tries to cast a video files locally saved on PC, Chromecast will only pick the video files. Now, it is not some sort of feature lacking in Chromecast, but the player. Therefore, a player that supports subtitle on Chromecast will fix the issue.

Sol: Get Subtitles on Chromecast with Plex

Plex is a free-to-use media server with optional premium membership. It is not necessary because we can easily get the required functionality for free. This is best app to fix no subtitles on local files cast with Chromecast.

The goal behind development of Plex was to make it easier for users to organize their medial files on PC. Moreover, since it acts as a server, naturally, anyone with proper access can get these files anywhere. Only requirement is that the PC is up and running. It also requires an active network connection.

The beauty of Plex server is that it automatically downloads all the meta data for movies and Seasons stored on PC. This includes thumbnails, cast etc. Moreover, you get a very clean and user-friendly interface for it. The only requirement is that it works on Google Chrome if someone wants to use it with Chromecast.

Steps

1. Download and install Plex Media Server on PC from HERE.
2. Once it is installed, launch it in the Chrome Browser.
3. Now hit the + icon next to Libraries in left sidebar.
4. Select the folder where all movies or shows are.
5. You can create multiple and customized libraries here.
6. Next up, download the subtitles srt file for any movie or TV episode.
7. Put it in the same folder as the movie.
8. It is preferred that movie and srt file are in same folder. Do not put any other media file in that folder.
9. Head back to Plex server in Chrome.
10. Click on menu button next to the library that you just created.
11. Find and click the option “Scan Library Files”.
12. It will go through only those folder which made some changes. Therefore, it scans pretty much instantly.
13. Now select the media file thumbnail from given thumbnails’ list.
14. Inside its menu, click on Subtitles dropdown and select the files you want to play.
15. Once selected, just click the play button.
16. In order to cast it to Chromecast, just click cast icon in top right and select specific device you want to play it on.
17. Note that it does not matter if subtitle srt file name is same as media file or not. Just remember to select it from Plex’s menu as mentioned in step 14.

Conclusion

The purpose of this article is to help people who are having trouble using subtitles on casting local files from PC. It includes both movies and seasons. Moreover, we introduced you to the Plex media server. It comes in handy more often than not.

To conclude it all, install Plex, scan the media files, download subtitles file and put media file + srt file in separate folder. Then select it from Plex’s menu and then cast it to any device. Voila! Now you get subtitles on casting or streaming local videos to Chromecast devices.

Feel free to leave your feedback and queries in the comments section below.