Watching movies and TV series on mobile devices has become an integral part of the daily leisure of millions of users. The player MX Player is deservedly considered one of the leaders in this niche due to its support for all popular formats and flexible playback settings. However, sometimes the built-in automatic subtitle pickup function can cause inconvenience, blocking important details of the frame or distracting from the visual sequence.
There are many reasons why it is necessary to completely deactivate the display of text or change its loading parameters. This may be due to incorrect encoding, text overlaying the image, or a simple desire to enjoy a clean video without extraneous elements. In this article we will analyze in detail all the available methods for controlling this function.
We will look at both standard interface settings and deeper configuration parameters that allow you to control the behavior of the player when launching files. You'll learn how to prevent external files from automatically loading and how to set up hotkeys to instantly switch display modes while watching.
Basic methods of disabling via the playback interface
The fastest and most obvious way to remove captions from the screen is to use the controls directly while watching a video. When the file is running, tapping on the screen is enough to bring up the control menu. In the upper right corner or in the bottom panel (depending on the interface version) there is an icon in the form of a speech bubble or a letter. Clicking on this button opens a pop-up menu with a list of available tracks. Here you can select S.
Clicking this button opens a pop-up menu with a list of available tracks. Here you can select the item Disable or None, which will instantly hide the text. If subtitles are embedded in a video file container (for example, MKV), they will be listed in the same list along with external files.
In some cases, the standard button may not work correctly due to software glitches or specific skin settings. Then it's worth trying the control gesture. Swiping up or down on a video area with two fingers often changes display options, although this gesture is set to adjust brightness or volume by default.
- 🎬 Click on the subtitle icon in the corner of the screen while watching.
- ⚙️ Select the "Disable" option from the drop-down list of tracks.
- 🔄 Try switching the audio track, sometimes this resets the state of the text.
- 📱 Use swipe gestures to quickly access the settings menu.
⚠️ Attention: If you use third-party skins or themes for MX Player, the location of the control buttons may differ from the standard. In such cases, look for an icon that resembles a text cloud.
Global settings for the decoder and file paths
For those who want to prevent automatic loading of subtitles forever, you need to go to the deep application settings menu. This solution is suitable for users who prefer to set up the environment once and not return to this issue every time they start a new movie.
Go to the main menu of the application and select section Settings. Next, find the item Decoder. This section hides key parameters for processing media content. Scroll down the list to the block responsible for working with text data.
Here you will find the option Path to subtitles. By default, it can be set to "Video folder" or "Embedded". Changing this setting to "Do not use" or clearing the path ensures that the player will not scan the directory for files with extensions .srt, .sub or .idx.
Settings → Decoder → Path to subtitles → NoneAlso in this section you should pay attention to the checkbox Autoloading subtitles. Unchecking this checkbox prevents the application from trying to find the corresponding text file, even if it is located next to the video. This is especially useful when viewing collections where the file names may not match perfectly.
☑️ Checking decoder settings
Managing built-in tracks in MKV and MP4 containers
Modern video formats such as Matroska (MKV), allow you to pack multiple subtitle streams directly inside a video file. Unlike external files, they cannot simply be deleted from the folder, so managing them requires a specific approach inside the player.
When running such a file MX Player automatically selects the track marked as "default" in the container metadata. To change this behavior, you need to go to the stream selection menu during playback. A list of all available text tracks will be displayed there, indicating the language.
Selecting an item Disable in this menu only works for the current session. The next time you run the same file, the player may reactivate the default track. To permanently disable a specific built-in track, the current version of the application does not have a direct button in the settings, but you can use a trick.
| Container type | Storage method | Disable method | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKV | Built-in stream | Selecting "None" in the S menu | Low |
| MP4 | Text track | Through stream settings | Medium |
| AVI | Single file | Deleting file.sub/.srt | Low |
| WebM | VTT stream | Switching to menu | Low |
If built-in subtitles are constantly annoying, the only radical solution is to use third-party software to remix (repack) a video file without a text track. However, for a one-time viewing, it is enough to simply ignore them by selecting an empty slot in the menu.
Why do subtitles return after a restart?
This happens because the player remembers the last state for a specific file. If the video metadata contains the "Default" flag, when resetting the application cache, the setting may return to the factory setting.
Setting up encoding and fonts for correct display
Often users want to disable subtitles not because they don’t need them, but because they are displayed incorrectly - in the form of “crazy words” or hieroglyphs. In such cases, the problem is solved not by completely disabling it, but by correctly setting the encoding.
Go to the section Settings → Subtitles → Encoding. Here is an extensive list of standards. For the Russian language the most relevant are UTF-8, Windows-1251 i KOI8-R. The correct choice guarantees readable text instead of a bunch of random characters.
If the text is still not readable, the subtitle file may be damaged or uses an exotic encoding. In the settings menu you can also change Font Size and Style. Reducing the size or changing the color to transparent can visually "turn off" subtitles, making them invisible on the screen.
- 🔤 Check the encoding in the subtitle settings menu.
- 🎨 Change the text color to black when viewing dark scenes.
- 📏 Reduce the font size to minimum if you need to hide the text.
- 💾 Try opening the subtitle file in a text editor and resaving in UTF-8.
⚠️ Attention: The interface and available options may differ between the free version MX Player and the version Pro. Some advanced encoding settings may only be available in the paid edition.
Solving problems with automatic loading of external files
One of the most common problems is when the player picks up subtitles from another movie in the same folder. This happens if the file names partially match or if there are many text files in the directory.
MX Player uses a search algorithm by name. If the video is called Movie.2023.mp4, and the subtitles are Movie.2023.eng.srt, they will load automatically. To avoid this, make sure file names are unique or move unnecessary text files to a separate folder.
There is also a “Search on the Internet” function that can automatically download subtitles if they are missing. This option is located in the settings-menu "Online subtitles". Disabling this feature will prevent unexpected downloads and text from appearing while watching.
Settings → Subtitles → Online subtitles → Disable auto searchAfter forcibly stopping the application through the Android settings, you may need to configure it again.
If subtitles constantly "stick" to the video, try renaming the video file by adding unique characters at the end, for example "Movie_Name_FINAL.mp4". This will break the connection with old subtitle files.
Alternative methods and use of third-party tools
In rare cases, standard tools do not help, for example, in case of a software failure or a bug in a specific firmware version. Then file managers come to the rescue. Simply renaming the subtitle file extension from .srt to .txt will cause the player to ignore it, since it does not recognize the format.
Another radical method is to use the launch option through ADB or create a shortcut with arguments, although this may be too much for the average user difficult. It is much easier to install an alternative player for specific files where MX Player behaves incorrectly.
Some users prefer to use modified versions of the application, where the flow control functions are more convenient. However, you should be careful when downloading software from unverified sources so as not to violate security devices.
⚠️ Attention: The application interface is regularly updated by the developers. The location of menu items may change in new versions. If you do not find the described item, use the search inside the application settings.
The most reliable way to disable subtitles is a combination of canceling autoloading in the decoder settings and manually selecting the "Disable" item in the playback menu.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why subtitles turn on themselves after rebooting the phone?
This happens because MX Player saves the state of the last playback for each file separately. When you restart the device, application settings may be reset to default values if the "Remember selection" option was not used (if available in your version) or if the cache was cleared.
Is it possible to remove embedded subtitles from a video file without losing quality?
Yes, this is possible using remuxing apps on a PC, such as how MKVToolNix. This process does not re-encode the video, but only removes unnecessary data streams, so the quality of the image and sound remains original, and the processing time takes seconds.
How to make subtitles transparent if you can’t find the mute button?
Go to Settings → Subtitles → Style. There you can change the text color. Select black color and set background or text opacity to minimum. This will make them virtually invisible in most scenes.
Why does the player not see the subtitle file, although it is next to the video?
Make sure that the names of the video file and the subtitle file are completely the same, with the exception of the extension. Also check that the decoder settings indicate the correct search path (for example, “Video folder”) and not “Embedded.”
Does disabling subtitles affect the performance of the smartphone?
Minimally. Text rendering requires negligible CPU resources. However, when playing high-definition (4K) video on weak devices, disabling complex graphic subtitles (PGS, VobSub) can slightly reduce the load on the system and improve smoothness.