VLC Error “401 Unauthorized” When Downloading Subtitles

Need help getting subtitles for your favorite movie or TV show on VLC? Are you getting the annoying error code VLC Error “401 Unauthorized”? There’s an easy and 100% working method to fix this!

The VLC media player is one of the most widely used media players. Since its development and public launch, there have been more than 74 million downloads across the globe.

The media player is lightweight and doesn’t put much workload on the device when you play high-quality videos. Also, it can amplify the original sound by 100%.

So, those who love cinema theatre-like audio experiences while watching movies and TV shows at home prefer VLC over anything else. Moreover, it comes with a freeware license.

However, its most important use case is convenient subtitle sourcing for the video you’re watching.

VLC Error “401 unauthorized.”

But, with a recent change in VideoLan Organization’s policy, you might see the VLC Error “401 Unauthorized” error a lot when downloading a subtitle.

Not to mention, in some regions, the subtitle downloading feature won’t work and constantly shows the VLC Error “401 Unauthorized.”

However, after extensive research and VLC app troubleshooting, I’ve found a fix for the “Unauthorized Error 401” on VLC. Read on to discover the fix you’ve been looking for.

What Is VLC Subtitles Downloader?

VLsub is an extension application that runs within any default VLC media player installation. You can activate the extension from the VLC media player top menu > View > VLsub option.

When you access the extension, you get the following options:

Subtitles language
Title
Season
Episode

If you’re playing any video on VLC, it’ll auto-populate the Title name. By default, the subtitle’s language is English. But you can change it to any language listed within the drop-down menu.

Now, you can hit the Search by a hash or Search by name button to get the subtitle suggestions in the box below.

VLC has been working with opensubtitles.org to serve free subtitles for almost any video content you play on VLC.

However, VLC changed the feature slightly by making an opensubtitles.org account mandatory for downloading subtitles for free using the VLC media player. This policy change has been causing the annoying “Unauthorized Error 401” lately.

What Is the VLC Error “401 Unauthorized”?

If you’re not using any opensubtitles.org login credentials while downloading any subtitle using the VLsub extension on the VLC media player, you’ll get the VLC Error “401 Unauthorized” error.

The “401 Unauthorized” error is an HTTP connection status code. When you try to access any content on the web, and the website server doesn’t let you access its database for the content, the web browser shows a “401 Unauthorized” error.

The most probable reasons for the “401 Unauthorized” error code are:

An incorrect domain name, hyperlink, or URL to a web resource
Wrong username and password to access encrypted and secured web content
Dated browser cookies and cache

In the HTTP connection error, while downloading a free subtitle from opensubtitles.org, the cause is an incorrect username and password.

Previously, the source site for subtitles, the opensubtitles.org, didn’t ask for any login credentials to download subtitles. But, recently, it’s started blocking all incoming HTTP requests for subtitles via the VLC media player.

How to Resolve VLC Error “401 Unauthorized”

To fix the “401 Unauthorized” error in VLC, you must create a free account on opensubtitles.org. Then, when downloading subtitles for TV shows and movies, use the login credentials on the VLC media player’s extension, VLsub.

Try the following steps and enjoy movies and TV shows on the VLC player with subtitles:

Create a Profile on opensubtitles.org

Go to the opensubtitles.org log-in page.
Click Register.
The signup form will appear.
Fill out the form and click Register.
You’ll receive a verification email to your registered email address.
Verify the email by clicking the verification link.
Log in to opensubtitles.org.

That’s it! You must remember the login ID and password for opensubtitles.org.

Enter the opensubtitles.org Credentials on VLsub

Open any movie or TV show file using the VLC media player.
Pause the video.
Click View and then select VLsub.
Click Show config.
Type in the username and password for opensubtitles.org in the Username and Password field of the VLsub extension.
Click Save.

Download Subtitles

Close the VLsub extension pop-up.
Again, open VLsub from the View menu.
Now, select Search by name or Search by hash to fetch subtitles from opensubtitles.org.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up your opensubtitles.org account to use VLC Subtitles Downloader or VLsub extension. You shouldn’t face the “401 Unauthorized” error on VLC anymore.

You don’t need to enter the username and password again until you uninstall the VLC media player and install it.

VLC Error “401 Unauthorized”: Final Words

Now you’ve found out how to download free subtitles from opensubtitles.org using the VLsub extension on the VLC media player.

Leave a comment below if you know of any alternative trick to the VLC Error “401 Unauthorized” issue.

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