How to Convert MKV to MP4 with Subtitles Burned in

By Paula Lin | Last Updated:

"So, what's the way to convert an MKV file to MP4 with hardsubs? The type of subs that are forced on screen? Need to know for editing purposes."

MKV is a widely-used container format that can store multiple video, audio, subtitle tracks in a variey of codecs, such as HEVC, H.264, DTS, Dolby Digital audio, or SRT etc. However, due to its poor compatibility, many mobile devices and programs refuse to open or recognize MKV video files and sometimes you may have to convert MKV to a more compatible format, like MP4.

There are many program out there that allow you to convert MKV to MP4 on Windows and Mac. But after the conversion using Handbrake, VLC or other free video converters, many people find the subtitles don't show up on the screen or the subtitles don't appear when they play the video with VLC or try to edit it with Adobe Premiere Pro. So, is there an easy way to convert MKV to MP4 with desired subtitle burned in?

The answer is abosolutely yes. If your MKV is packed with soft subtitle streams and you want to transcode MKV to MP4 with desired subtitle burned in, you've come to the right place. In this article, we will show you an easy, efficient and fast solution to convert MKV files to MP4 format and burn soft subtitles to the video.

The Best Pro Tool to Convert MKV to MP4 with Burned-in Subtitles in on PC/Mac

Rather than spending time and energe for uncertain tips to fix subtitles not showing up error after MKV to MP4 conversion, why not try a 100% working way to get the job done?

EaseFab Video Converter is an excellent video converter which allows you to do so. With it, you can easily burn embedded or external subtitles in the MKV videos as well as convert MKV to MP4, AVI, FLV, WMV etc. to win better compatibilty on media players, iPhone, iPad, Android, game consoles, HDTVs, and more. Besides, you don't have to wait long for this process. If your computer is configured with graphic cards built with hardware acceleration, this GPU accelerated decoder will boost MKV to MP4 conversion up to 30X real time faster.

Free Download For Windows 7 or lower
Free Download For Mac OS X 10.6 or later

※ For macOS 10.14 or lower, you can also Download 32-bit installer here ↓

Now download and install EaseFab Video Converter on your computer according to the OS you're running. After that, you can follow the step-by-step guide below to learn how to convert MKV to MP4 with burned-in subtitles. The guide below takes the Windows version for an example. Mac version has the same process.

Step 1. Add the source MKV video.

Launch EaseFab Video Converter on your Windows or Mac computer, simply drag and drop your MKV files to the program. You can also click "Add Video" button to load your source files. (Note: batch conversion is supported, so you can load more than one file to save time.)

Step 2. Select MP4 as the output format.

Click "Profile" icon and move mouse cursor to "Common Video" category and select "MP4" (codec: h.264+aac). If you need to convert a MKV for iPhone, Android device, TV, YouTube, web services, you can also find a profile.

Convert MKV to MP4

Step 3. Select Embedded Subtitle or Add External Subtitle.

Click "Subtitle" drop-down list and select one of the embedded subtitles or add external .srt, .ass, or ass subtitle to the result MP4 video.

Select Embedded Subtitle or Add External Subtitle to MP4 Video

Tips:

1. Edit MKV Video: You can click Edit button to open the Video Editor window to achieve editing like trim, crop, image, watermark, effect, subtitles and rotate and etc in the corresponding editing pane.

2. Reduce file size of MKV video:Flexible options are offered to further reduce the size of the converted MP4 video. Click Settings button to enter into the parameter settings page. A slew of other variables such the video/audio codecs, pixel dimensions, frame rate, bit rate, audio sampel rate, etc. will help convert a MKV at huge size to a smaller MP4 file.

Step 4. Start MKV to MP4 conversion and subtitle burning.

Finally, hit right-bottom Convert button to start convert MKV to MP4 with desired subtitle burned in. Once doen, you can share, play or edit the MKV files with subtitles on any platforms.

The Screenshot of The Result MP4 Videos with Subtitles in VLC:

Screenshot of MP4 Video with Subtitle

Subtitle File Format Types and Subtitle MKV format outputs

Subtitles may be stored in different formats within media or as additional files:

  • Bitmaps (Pictures), e.g. DVD VOBSUBs, Bluray PGS
  • Text with markup, e.g. Closed Captions and SRT files.
  • Styled SSA, e.g. most anime subtitles in MKV files
  • - DVD Bitmap Subtitles(VOBSUB): With MKV, you can pass-through multiple VOBSUB tracks. These are not burned into the video unless you choose to do so however you can only burn 1 subtitle track into the file. The rest must be passed through.
  • Bluray PGS Subtitles: With MKV, you can pass-through multiple PGS tracks. These are not burned into the video unless you choose to do so however you can only burn 1 subtitle track into the file. The rest must be passed through.