Which video player has AI subtitles?
A few players can now write subtitles from the audio, but most stop at transcription or need setup. WatchTranslate transcribes and translates in one step, in the browser or the Windows and Mac apps, with subtitles timed on the picture.
AI subtitles in desktop players and system captions
What each player or system feature does, in its makers' own words; check dates are listed under the page.
| Getting started | Translation | Where the text shows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WatchTranslate | Opens in the browser; Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone apps too[1, 2] | Into the language you pick, with the original shown alongside if you like[1] | Timed subtitles on the picture, exportable as SRT or VTT[3] |
| PotPlayer | Windows only; subtitles from voice through Whisper, including real-time generation[4, 5] | Separate online translation engines for subtitles[5] | On the video in PotPlayer; generated subtitles can be saved as a file[5] |
| VLC | Current release 3.0.24 has no AI subtitle generation[6] | None shipped; an AI live subtitle generator was shown at FOSDEM 2026[6, 7] | No AI subtitles to show in the current release[6] |
| Windows Live Captions | Built in; translation needs a Copilot+ PC[8] | Into English or Simplified Chinese only[8] | A separate captions window; may lag when the PC is busy, not saved[8] |
| macOS Live Captions | Macs with Apple silicon; not in every language or region[9] | Apple's page describes transcription and doesn't mention translation[9] | A separate Live Captions window; accuracy varies[9] |
Compiled by WatchTranslate from each vendor's pages; we have no affiliation with PotPlayer, VideoLAN, Microsoft or Apple.
Transcription is not the same as subtitles
Several tools can now turn speech into text, but a subtitle you can watch a film with needs three more things: it has to be translated into your language, timed to the picture, and kept when you pause or come back tomorrow. That is where players and system captions differ most.
System Live Captions
Windows and macOS both caption any audio in a separate window. Microsoft says translation needs a Copilot+ PC and goes into English or Simplified Chinese, that captions can lag when the PC is busy, and that they aren't stored. Apple's version transcribes on Macs with Apple silicon and doesn't mention translation.
PotPlayer and VLC
PotPlayer's changelog adds subtitles from voice through Whisper, with engine options and separate translation engines; it is a Windows player. VLC's current release, 3.0.24, has no AI subtitles; VideoLAN showed an AI live subtitle generator at FOSDEM 2026.
WatchTranslate
Open a file in the browser's local player, or in the Windows or Mac app for MKV, AVI and HEVC. It listens to the dialogue, writes the original and your language under the picture, and keeps both so you can pause, rewind or export them. On a phone, the Android and iPhone apps do the same.
Two runs in the web player
The live web local player in Chrome on a computer, signed in to WatchTranslate.
- Works
Film clip with no subtitles · about 6 s
An English-dialogue open movie in an MP4; AI recognition, Spanish chosen for the test.
- Works
MKV with an English text track · about 2.3 s
Embedded subtitles listed automatically and translated, no audio recognition needed.
Tested 11 Nov 2026 · web local player · Chrome · live service
Drop a film into the local player and watch the subtitles appear.
About players with AI subtitles
Which video player generates subtitles automatically?
WatchTranslate does it in the browser and in its Windows and Mac apps; PotPlayer can on Windows with its Whisper engine.
Can VLC generate AI subtitles?
Not in the current release, 3.0.24. VideoLAN showed an AI live subtitle generator at FOSDEM 2026.
Are Windows Live Captions enough to watch a foreign film?
They caption in a separate window, translate only on Copilot+ PCs into English or Simplified Chinese, and aren't saved.
Does macOS Live Captions translate?
Apple's page describes transcription only, on Macs with Apple silicon.
Will my video be uploaded?
Not as a whole file; audio is sent in pieces and the file stays on your device.
Can I keep the subtitles?
Yes, export SRT or VTT in the original, the translation or both.
What if the browser can't play my MKV?
Use the Windows or Mac app, which plays MKV, AVI and HEVC.
What does it cost?
20 free minutes, then 1 credit a minute from audio and 0.2 for an existing subtitle track.
Where these facts come from (with check dates)
- watchtranslate.com/guides/watch-local-video-without-subtitles ·
- watchtranslate.com/app/download ·
- watchtranslate.com/guides/export-video-with-subtitles ·
- potplayer.tv/?lang=en ·
- t1.kakaocdn.net/potplayer/PotPlayer/v4/Update2/UpdateEng.html ·
- www.videolan.org/vlc/releases/3.0.24.html ·
- www.videolan.org/news.html#news-2026-01-31 ·
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-live-captions-to-better-understand-audio-b52da59c-14b8-4031-aeeb-f6a47e6055df ·
- support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/get-captions-of-spoken-and-computer-audio-mchldd11f4fd/mac ·