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Subtitle sync guide

How to sync subtitles in MX Player

MX Player has a built-in subtitle delay control, so you can line captions up with the dialogue right on your phone or tablet.

Works on: Android · iOS

Step by step

  1. 1

    Play the video and show the subtitles

    Start playback in MX Player with your subtitle file loaded (it auto-loads files that share the video’s name).

  2. 2

    Open the subtitle panel

    Tap the screen, then tap the subtitle (speech-bubble) icon, or open the menu ▸ Subtitle ▸ Subtitle settings.

  3. 3

    Adjust the delay

    Use the minus and plus controls to move subtitles earlier or later in 0.5-second steps. You can also scroll left/right along the bottom of the screen to shift timing on the fly.

  4. 4

    Fine-tune until they match

    Keep nudging until a spoken line and its caption appear together. The on-screen readout shows the current offset.

MX Player remembers the delay for that file, but it does not change the subtitle file itself. If you watch the same file in another app, the offset is gone.

Fix the subtitle file permanently

The delay in MX Player is only temporary. To fix the timing for good, correct the subtitle file once and it plays in sync everywhere.

Open the free sync tool

MX Player subtitle sync FAQ

How do I delay subtitles in MX Player?

During playback, open the subtitle settings (tap the speech-bubble icon) and use the +/− controls to shift the timing in 0.5-second steps until the captions match the audio.

My MX Player subtitles are always out of sync — can I fix the file?

Yes. If the same file is off in every app, the file itself is mistimed. Run it through the free SubAlign sync tool to bake in the correct timing, then play the corrected file.

Sync subtitles in other players

Step-by-step instructions for fixing out-of-sync subtitles in the apps people use most.