Extract text from Subtitle files (SUB)
To convert SUB Subtitles to another format, you need VLC media player or other Video software.
To convert other file formats to the "Subtitle & Subchannel Data" file type, you need software like VLC media player or a similar tool.
The .SUB file extension primarily represents two entirely different formats: DVD video subtitles (VobSub/MicroDVD) and CloneCD subchannel data. VobSub files contain raw bitmap images extracted from DVDs, capturing the exact look of original subtitles. These must always be paired with an IDX index file to work properly in players like VLC media player. Alternatively, legacy MicroDVD .SUB files contain plain text subtitle data that is synced by video frame rate rather than timecode. The second major use case is for optical media backups; CloneCD generates a .SUB file alongside CCD and IMG files to store disc subchannel data, which includes track gaps and copy-protection metadata.
The main disadvantage of the VobSub .SUB format is its lack of flexibility. Because it relies on raster images rather than plain text, you cannot simply open it in a text editor to fix typos, translate dialogue, or change the font size. Furthermore, many modern smart TVs, web browsers, and mobile video players do not support VobSub natively, meaning the subtitles must be burned into the video stream via heavy hardware transcoding. CloneCD .SUB files face a different problem: they are proprietary remnants of the early 2000s CD-ripping era, rarely supported by modern virtual drive software, and are completely useless without their paired image files.
To resolve compatibility issues, conversion is highly recommended. For universal video playback on the web or smart TVs, convert .SUB files to SRT or VTT. Note that converting VobSub images to plain text requires OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing. For archival CD backups, converting the fragmented .ccd/.img/.sub cluster into a standard ISO or BIN/CUE format ensures you can mount the disk natively in modern operating systems.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SUB file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted IDX, CCD, ECM, SUBTITLE, SUP, VP6, CUE, STR, SRT, IMG, MP4, G3D and ZIP files.
If you want to convert SUB file to SRT, TXT, SUP, TEXT, ISO, IMG, DMG, VHD, VMDK, VDI, HDD or QCOW, you can use VLC media player or similar software from the "Video Subtitles & CD Rips" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert VFD, DMG, OVA, IMA, VBOX, ADF, PVS, VHD, OVF, ISO, DSK or IMG files to SUB, try VLC media player or another comparable tool in the "Video Subtitles & CD Rips" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our SUB converter.