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Ripping a movie is usually the easy part; dealing with the DVD subtitles is where most backups go wrong. You either lose the forced subtitles for foreign dialogue, or end up with a format your smart TV refuses to read. Getting it right means handling soft, hard, and forced subtitle tracks correctly. Here is how to rip your DVDs while keeping the exact subtitles you need, or extract them as separate .srt files for completely flexible playback.

How to Extract Subtitles from DVD or Rip DVD with Subtitles

Understanding DVD Subtitle Types

DVD subtitles refer to the built-in subtitle tracks on a DVD. During playback, the player overlays the subtitles on top of the video. On DVDs, subtitles are stored as SPU (Sub-Picture Unit) data, which is essentially bitmap images plus display timing/control information, rather than common plain-text subtitles.

DVD movies include multiple subtitle languages, so viewers can switch languages to better understand the film. Before you start ripping, it is crucial to understand the three common types of DVD subtitles:

  • • Soft Subtitles: Subtitles exist as a separate track (or separate files), and you can turn them on or off and switch languages in the player. Choose this if you want flexibility.
  • • Hard Subtitles (Burned-in / Non-toggleable): Subtitles are permanently burned into the video image, so they become part of the picture and cannot be turned off. Best for maximum compatibility on smart TVs.
  • • Forced Subtitles (A subset of soft subtitles): These appear only when needed, such as for foreign-language dialogue or on-screen text. They may show up even if you have not enabled the full subtitle track.

How to Rip DVD with Subtitles (Soft and Forced)

First, let's look at how to rip a DVD while keeping subtitles. Many DVD ripping tools can retain the subtitle tracks you want. Below are step-by-step guides using three tools: DVDFab DVD Ripper, HandBrake, and VLC.

Method 1. Rip DVD with Subtitles via DVDFab DVD Ripper 

DVDFab DVD Ripper is a multifunctional DVD ripping tool that lets you rip DVDs with subtitles to a wide range of digital video or audio formats for playback on your PC and other devices, such as media players and home theater systems. It supports not only physical discs, but also ISO files and VIDEO_TS folders as input. It can also extract subtitles from DVDs for more flexible backup and management.

DVDFab DVD Ripper

DVDFab DVD Ripper

  • Rip DVD with subtitles in 4 modes: directly render to video, remux into file, extract to IDX/Sub file, or extract to SRT file.
  • Rip any copy-protected DVD disc, ISO file, or folder.
  • Rip DVD to 1000+ video/audio formats and 260+ devices.
  • Extract the whole or part of subtitles from DVD as SRT files.
  • Add external subtitles (SRT/ASS format) to the DVD video.
  • Built-in video editor can customize video size, effect, subtitles, speed, color, watermark, and more.
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How to Rip a DVD and Keep the Subtitles You Want?

Ripping DVDs with desired inner subtitles means extracting the content (usually movies or TV shows) while including the subtitles embedded within the DVD. You can watch video tutorials or follow the written steps.

Step 1: Open DVDFab DVD Ripper and click the "Ripper" module. Put the DVD you want to rip in your DVD drive.

Step 2: After DVDFab recognizes DVD, click the "Ripper" option. A suite of choices for output video will extend out, just pick your desired title, chapter, audio tracks and output formats. Also, click on the "Subtitle" button and select your desired inner subtitle.

Rip DVD with Subtitles

Step 3: Click "Advanced Settings" and select your desired subtitle mode as "Direct render to video" or "Remux into the file".

  • 💡Remux into file: you can disable or enable subtitle during playback.
  • 💡Direct render to video: subtitles cannot be disabled as they are embedded into the video (you can only choose one subtitle stream for input).

Rip DVD with Subtitles

Step 4: Select the output directory to save your ripped DVD video with desired inner subtitle. Finally, click the "Start" button to begin the DVD subtitle ripping process.

How to Rip DVD with Forced Subtitles?

Forced subtitles appear automatically for short sections (e.g., foreign/alien language lines) even when regular subtitles are off.

Step 1: Load your DVD to DVDFab DVD Ripper. Select the profile for your output video.

Step 2: Select the "Subtitle" dropdown arrow to enable "Display only Forced Subtitles". You have 3 options to select: Forced only, Normal and forced only, and Scan Forced Subtitle.

Rip DVD with Subtitles

Step 3: Once all settings are done, click the "Start" button to rip your DVD video with forced subtitles.

How to Add Subtitles to a DVD?

If the DVD doesn't include the language you need, add an external subtitle file (e.g., .srt, .ass, .sup) during ripping.

Step 1: Launch DVDFab DVD Ripper on your PC. Select Ripper and add your DVD. 

Step 2: Rip the DVD to MKV, MP4, and other formats by clicking "Choose Other Profile"

Step 3: Navigate to Subtitle and click Add External Subtitle in the dropdown menu to add subtitles to your ripped file.

Rip DVD with Subtitles

Step 4: Find and upload your subtle file from the system. From the pop-up video editing window, select the subtitles' font, size, character sets, color, style, etc. 

Rip DVD with Subtitles

Step 5: Customize your video settings and set the output destination. Click the Start button to add external subtitles to your ripped DVD videos.

Method 2. Rip and Burn-in Subtitles with HandBrake

HandBrake is a free, open-source video converter available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. It is a highly popular tool for converting DVDs into MP4 or MKV files. While its interface is straightforward for basic video compression, handling subtitles correctly requires a bit of specific configuration to avoid errors.

Steps to rip DVD with subtitles with HandBrake:

Step 1: Launch and open Handbrake. Insert your DVD disc into the PC's hard drive. Tap the Open Source tab from the upper-left menu bar. Handbrake will thoroughly scan the disc and display all the titles and chapters. 

Step 2: From the Title drop-down menu, select the main movie or specific chapter you want to rip. Then, select your desired output format (MP4 or MKV) and video preset.

Steps to Rip DVD with Subtitles via HandBrake

Step 3: Navigate to the Subtitles tab in the center of the screen. As Reddit users highlight, you must click the Tracks dropdown and select "Add All Remaining Tracks" to ensure your desired subtitles are explicitly added to the queue. Otherwise, they may be lost during the encode.

Tips: Many users find that HandBrake can sometimes drop subtitles during the re-encoding process. Seasoned data hoarders often recommend a two-step process: first, use MakeMKV to extract the raw file (which preserves all subtitle tracks natively), and then use HandBrake to compress the video.

Rip DVD with Subtitles using Handbrake

Step 4: If you want the subtitles permanently embedded into the video (meaning they cannot be turned off during playback), check the Burn In box. Click Browse at the bottom right to select your output destination.

Step 5: Hit the Start Encode button on the top menu bar to begin the conversion. Wait for the process to finish, and your output video will contain the specified subtitle tracks.

Method 3. Rip DVDs with Subtitles Using VLC

While VLC Media Player is world-renowned for playback, it also features a hidden tool to rip DVDs. It is a convenient, free option if you already have it installed. However, keep in mind that VLC natively struggles with copy-protected commercial DVDs and the ripping process is generally slower than dedicated software.

Step 1: Launch and open VLC on your computer. Insert the disk to be ripped into your DVD drive. Tap Media from the top menu bar and choose Convert/Save. 

Step 2: Move to the Disc tab and choose your target DVD. Check the No disc menus option to skip the DVD menus. Select the disc title to be ripped under the Disc Selection menu. 

Step 3: In the Audio and Subtitles section, find the Subtitle track option and choose the specific subtitle language you want to extract. Then, click the Convert/Save button at the bottom.

Rip DVDs with Subtitles Using VLC

Step 4: In the new Convert window, click the Wrench icon (Edit selected profile) next to the Profile dropdown menu.

Step 5: Tap the Setting icon and select your file's encapsulation Format from the displayed list. For example, choose MP4.

Step 6: Switch to the Subtitles tab, check the box to enable subtitle capture, and click Save. You can choose to overlay subtitles on the video for a burn-in effect.

Step 7: Set a name for your Profile and tap the Create button. You will find the Convert window again. Select the newly created file from the Profile drop-down menu and tap the Browse tab to set your file's path. Specify your destination and tap Start. VLC will gear up to rip DVD with subtitles.

How to Extract Subtitles from DVD to .srt Files

Method 1. Extract Subtitles from DVD with DVDFab DVD Ripper 

Besides ripping DVDs while keeping subtitle tracks, DVDFab DVD Ripper can also export the subtitles you choose as separate files, either IDX/SUB or SRT, which makes backup and subtitle management more flexible.

Step 1: Download and launch DVDFab DVD Ripper. Choose the "Ripper" module from the option bar. Then insert your DVD to your optical drive.

How to Extract Subtitles from DVD to .srt Files

Step 2: Click the button of "Choose Other Profile" to convert your DVD to MP4 or other digital formats. If you only want the subtitles output, click "Subtitle" > "SRT". Then DVDFab will help you extract only the subtitles from DVD to SRT files.

💡How to choose the container?

  • MKV plays nicely with both VobSub and SRT across desktop players and many TV boxes.
  • MP4 is widely supported but less friendly to VobSub; pair MP4 with SRT for smoother playback on web and mobile.
  • Media servers: With Plex-style libraries, SRT is usually the safest, bandwidth-efficient choice for multi-device streaming.

Extract Subtitles from DVD with DVDFab DVD Ripper

Step 3: Return to the main interface and select the movie title, chapter, audio tracks and subtitles you want to rip and extract. 

Extract Subtitles from DVD

Step 4: Click "Advanced Settings" to adjust the video, audio and subtitle settings; Select "Extract to idx/sub file" or "Extract to srt file" and DVDFab will create a separate file for the subtitles.

Steps to Extract Subtitles from DVD with DVDFab

Step 5: Select the output directory at the Save to part. You can choose to save it on your local hard drive or a mobile device. Finally, click on the "Start" button to start the DVD subtitle ripping process. DVDFab will rip the DVD content but also extract the subtitle file (srt or idx/sub file format) and save it in the same directory as the video.

Extract Subtitles from DVD

DVDFab also offers two useful tools: DVDFab Blu-ray After Editor and DVDFab UHD After Editor. These tools enable users to easily add or replace audio tracks and subtitles in unprotected Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray movies, supporting external audio and subtitle formats in various languages, and offering options to replace with higher-quality versions.

Method 2. Extract Subtitles from DVD (VOB) with SubRip  

SubRip subtitle editor is another proven tool to extract subtitles from DVDs despite being text-based SRT subtitle files, SUP files, BMP, or SubPictures from DVDs for free. However, this DVD subtitle extractor can not directly rip subtitles from physical DVD disc because it only recognize VOB files. Check how to rip subtitles from DVD with SubRip:

Step 1: Download and open SubRip on your Windows 7 or above version. Tap the VOB button in the first screen's toolbar.

Step 2: Hit the Open IFO tab and load the IFO file. 

Step 3: Move to the Language stream to select the subtitle file you want to rip. Head over to the right section of the screen. In the Characters matrix file, choose New File. 

Step 4: Under the Action section, choose SubPictures to Text via OCR. This helps in extracting subtitles from DVD that are text-based.

Step 5: Hit the Start button to extract subtitles from DVD.

Extract Subtitles from DVD (VOB) with SubRip

FAQs 

How to add or replace subtitles on a Blu-ray?

  • Step 1: Download and open DVDFab 13. Find and click on Blu-ray After Editor in the Utilities section, then upload the Blu-ray/UHD file either by clicking the "+" button or dragging it into the interface.
  • Step 2: Once uploaded, all Blu-ray/UHD titles will appear on the main interface. Click edit beside your desired title and choose either "Audio" or "Subtitles" to introduce new or replace existing components.
  • Step 3: Change language and delay settings under "Settings".
  • Step 4: Click the "Start" button to begin altering the Blu-ray file. We've made the process flexible so you can cancel out anytime you prefer.

How do I know if my DVD has subtitles? 

You can check if your DVD includes subtitle tracks using the following methods:

  1. Look for the "CC" (Closed Captioning) or "SDH" logo printed on the DVD disc or the case containing the disc.
  2. Insert the disc into your computer's DVD drive or a player. You can find and turn on subtitle options directly from the DVD disc's main menu.
  3. The fastest digital method is to load your DVD into a tool like DVDFab DVD Ripper. The software will automatically scan the disc and list all available subtitle languages and tracks in its interface.

Where are subtitles stored on a DVD?

Unlike downloaded movies that often come with a separate .srt text file, DVD subtitles are embedded directly into the disc's file structure. Generally, video programs are found in the VIDEO_TS folder on commercial DVDs. This folder can contain a single or more video object files with a .VOB extension. The subtitle data (along with the video and audio streams) is bundled inside these VOB files. When you play the disc on software like VLC Media Player, the player reads the VIDEO_TS folder and extracts the subtitle stream on the fly for you to view.

Should I rip my DVD to MP4 or MKV to keep the subtitles?

It depends on how and where you plan to play the ripped files. According to discussions among home media server enthusiasts on Reddit's r/PleX, the MKV container is the superior choice if you want to keep multiple subtitle tracks intact. MKV natively supports and copies embedded DVD subtitles 1:1.

On the other hand, if you convert the DVD into an .mp4 container, you will likely lose the embedded DVD subtitles during the conversion process. While MP4 is historically more universally supported by older devices , getting subtitles to work usually requires extracting them beforehand.

Should I choose soft subtitles or burn them in when ripping a DVD?

The short answer is always choose soft subtitles unless your device forces you otherwise. As Reddit users note, keeping subtitles as a separate, selectable track is preferred because it gives you the option to toggle them on or off. This flexibility is useful if you are learning a language or just want a clean screen.

"Burning in" subtitles means the text becomes a permanent part of the video frames. However, it is sometimes a necessary evil if you are syncing the video to older devices or basic media players that simply refuse to read soft subtitle tracks or external files.

Conclusion

Ripping a DVD is straightforward, but dealing with subtitle tracks is where the process often gets complicated. While free software like HandBrake can handle basic tasks, they fall short when you need to extract standalone subtitle files or bypass modern disc protections. If you want more control over your digital library without formatting headaches, a comprehensive solution like DVDFab DVD Ripper is recommended.