How to load external subtitles in Netflix UWP app on Windows 10

The Netflix UWP app has subtitles like its web version however, like the web version, these subtitles are limited. If you search for them, you will find that subtitles are available in many other languages for quite a few titles but Netflix doesn’t have them. The app does let you load external subtitles but it seems the built-in option often results in a play-back error. Here’s how you can load external subtitles in Netflix UWP.

In order to load external subtitles in Netflix UWP, you need to install another UWP app from the Microsoft Store called Subtitles for Netflix. This app can find and download subtitles, and when loaded from inside its save location, the subtitles play fine in Netflix UWP.

Need to load external subtitles for Netflix web? You can.

External subtitles in Netflix UWP

Install Subtitles for Netflix from the Microsoft Store. Click the Search icon at the bottom and look for the subtitles you want. Enter the name of a movie or series, a season, episode, and the language you want the subtitles to be in. You can also select where subtitles are from.

Once the app finds the subtitles, go ahead and download.

After the download is complete, click the settings button at the bottom right and in the panel that opens, click ‘Open in File Explorer’. A File Explorer window will open. Click inside the location bar, and copy the path to the folder.

Open Netflix and play the title that you downloaded subtitles for. Pause it before it gets ahead and tap the Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T key. A select file dialog box will open. Use it to navigate to the folder location you copied earlier, and then select the subtitle file for the title.

Once selected, Netflix will load the file and display subtitles from it. You can play the title and the subtitles will appear in order.

The Netflix UWP app seems to support external subtitles but not very well. Loading them causes the app to freeze on occasion when using this app so if that happens, close the Netflix app and open it again. The app might freeze on occasion but you won’t get playback errors the way you get when you pick a subtitle file from elsewhere on your disk.

The Subtitles for Netflix app is likewise a bit buggy so if it tends to get stuck, close and open it again. The pair may not be the most stable apps when they work together but the disruption isn’t constant and mostly tolerable.