To permanently turn off subtitles in VLC on a Mac, follow these steps:
1. Launch VLC: Open VLC Media Player on your Mac by clicking on its icon in the Applications folder or by searching for it in Spotlight.
2. Access Preferences: Once VLC is open, go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click on “VLC” (next to the Apple logo). From the drop-down menu, select “Preferences.” Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut “Command + ,” (comma) to open the Preferences window.
3. Navigate to Subtitles/OSD settings: In the Preferences window, you will see several tabs at the top. Click on the “Subtitles / OSD” tab to access the subtitle settings.
4. Disable subtitle options: On the Subtitles/OSD tab, you will find a list of options related to subtitles. To permanently turn off subtitles, uncheck all the options listed. This includes “Enable subtitles,” “Autodetect subtitle files,” and “Autodetect subtitle files in the same folder as the video.” By disabling these options, VLC will no longer display subtitles by default.
5. Save the changes: Once you have unchecked all the subtitle options, click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the Preferences window to save your changes. You can also use the keyboard shortcut “Command + S” to save the settings.
From now on, whenever you play a video in VLC, subtitles should not appear by default. If you want to enable subtitles for a specific video, you can manually add them by going to the “Subtitles” menu in VLC and selecting “Add Subtitle File.” This way, you have complete control over when subtitles are displayed.
Personal Experience:
I frequently use VLC on my Mac, and I have encountered situations where subtitles would automatically appear even though I didn’t want them. It can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to watch a video without distractions. However, by following the steps mentioned above, I was able to permanently turn off subtitles in VLC and regain control over my viewing experience.
By disabling all the subtitle options in the Preferences, VLC no longer tries to automatically load subtitles for every video I play. This setting change has been particularly helpful when watching videos in different languages, as it allows me to focus solely on the visuals and audio without any distractions.
Remember, if you ever want to enable subtitles for a specific video, you can easily do so by manually adding the subtitle file in VLC. This flexibility ensures that you have full control over when and how subtitles are displayed.
By accessing the Subtitles/OSD settings in VLC’s Preferences and unchecking all the subtitle options, you can permanently turn off subtitles in VLC on your Mac. Enjoy your distraction-free viewing experience!