User can't download subtitles: "Unable to download subtitles"

Plex Media Server
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1

Server Version#: 1.40.5.8921
Player Version#: Using Plex player in browser
<If providing server logs please do NOT turn on verbose logging, only debug logging should be enabled>

Hi,

I’m experiencing an annoying issue. Whenever I grant access to a specific movie on my Plex server to a user by selecting the “Grant access” option when viewing the details of the movie, the user then gets access to the movie, however, they can’t download subtitles for it.

Whenever the user tries to select and download subtitles they get the error message “Unable to download subtitles” shown. I then tried experimenting a bit and here’s the interesting part; Whenever I grant a user complete access to my entire library of movies under “Manage Library Access” instead of a single media, then the user can successfully download subtitles again. This bug occurs both on the player in the browser as well as the Plex media player software for Windows.

How does this make sense and how do I fix it so that the user can download subtitles without full access?

Technical info: Whenever the user attempts to download the subtitles while having the network tab open in the browser, the request to fetch the subtitles fails. The error is:

PUT: 400 Bad Request

(https://192-168-1-150.8d82eec75a0e444fa16dcfba8245a27c.plex.direct:32400/library/metadata/9229/subtitles?key=%2Flibrary%2Fstreams%2F44691&codec=srt&language=eng&hearingImpaired=0&forced=0&providerTitle=OpenSubtitles&X-Plex-Product=Plex%20Web&X-Plex-Version=4.137.1&X-Plex-Client-Identifier=j2wnqiaw4u6tcv6eat0pv7pp&X-Plex-Platform=Chrome&X-Plex-Platform-Version=128.0&X-Plex-Features=external-media%2Cindirect-media%2Chub-style-list&X-Plex-Model=hosted&X-Plex-Device=Windows&X-Plex-Device-Name=Chrome&X-Plex-Device-Screen-Resolution=1920x945%2C1920x1080&X-Plex-Token=token&X-Plex-Language=en&X-Plex-Session-Id=b9645139-f3f2-42f7-8052-40b5b70a8f29)
3

To ensure that Plex Media Server operates correctly and can connect to remote devices, you need to configure your firewall to allow traffic on specific ports. Here are the key ports that should be open:

Plex Web Interface and Remote Access:

Port: 32400 (TCP)
Description: This is the primary port for Plex’s web interface and for remote access to your Plex Media Server. It’s essential to open this port for external access, especially if you want to stream content outside your local network.
Plex DLNA Server:

Ports: 1900 (UDP) and 32469 (TCP)
Description: These ports are used by the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) server built into Plex for media streaming to DLNA-compatible devices. If you use Plex with DLNA devices, these ports should be open.
Plex Media Server Discovery (Local Network):

Ports: 5353 (UDP) and 32410-32414 (UDP)
Description: These ports are used for the discovery of Plex clients on the local network via Bonjour/Avahi and GDM (G’Day Mate) protocol. Opening these ports allows Plex clients to find the server automatically on your local network.
Plex Relay (Remote Access via Relay Server):

Port: 443 (TCP)
Description: Used for secure HTTPS connections when using Plex Relay, which allows access to your server even if the 32400 port is not directly accessible. This is more of a fallback method when 32400 is not open.
Plex Authentication and Updates:

Ports: 443 (TCP) and 80 (TCP)
Description: These are standard HTTPS and HTTP ports used by Plex for authenticating with Plex.tv, downloading metadata, updates, and other web services.
Secure Communication:

Port: 443 (TCP)
Description: Used for secure communication between Plex Media Server and Plex apps.
Additional Notes:

Port Forwarding: If you want to access Plex Media Server from outside your local network, you’ll need to configure your router to forward the external port 32400 to your Plex server’s IP address.

Custom Ports: If you’ve configured Plex to use custom ports, make sure those specific ports are also open in your firewall settings.

UPnP/NAT-PMP: Enabling UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) or NAT-PMP (Network Address Translation Port Mapping Protocol) on your router can simplify the process of opening and forwarding ports for Plex.

Example Firewall Configuration:

Inbound Rules:

Allow TCP 32400
Allow UDP 1900, 5353, 32410-32414
Allow TCP 443, 80, 32469

Outbound Rules:

Allow TCP 443, 80, 32400
Allow UDP 1900, 5353, 32410-32414

Ensure your firewall rules are correctly set up on both your router and any software firewall on your Plex Media Server machine. If you run into connectivity issues, reviewing your firewall and router settings is a good troubleshooting step.

4

Opening the necessary ports for Plex Media Server will ensure that your server can communicate with external networks, which is essential for a variety of functions, including streaming, remote access, and metadata retrieval. However, subtitle downloading in Plex typically relies on the server’s ability to access the internet and the specific services that provide subtitles.

Internet Access: Ensure that your Plex server has unrestricted internet access. This allows it to connect to subtitle providers like OpenSubtitles.org, which is commonly used by Plex for downloading subtitles.

Firewall Configuration: The essential ports (like 80 and 443 for HTTP/HTTPS) must be open to allow the Plex server to communicate with subtitle providers over the internet. Ensure that there are no outbound firewall rules blocking traffic on standard HTTP (port 80) or HTTPS (port 443) ports, as these are used for downloading subtitles and other metadata.

Subtitle Services: Make sure that Plex’s subtitle services are enabled and properly configured:

Go to Settings > Agents in Plex.
Under the relevant media type (Movies, TV Shows), ensure that the subtitle service (like OpenSubtitles.org) is enabled and prioritized correctly.
You may need to log in with your OpenSubtitles account credentials if required.
Network Configuration: If you’re using a proxy server, VPN, or other network configuration, ensure that it does not block or restrict access to subtitle services.

Server Location: If your Plex server is located behind a strict corporate firewall or within a region where access to certain services (like OpenSubtitles) is restricted, you may face issues with subtitle downloads. In such cases, using a VPN that routes traffic through a more permissive region might help.

Check for Plex Issues: Occasionally, Plex or the subtitle provider might have service issues.

5

The issue doesn’t seem to be related to connectivity. I’ve already opened port 32400 for remote access, and that’s working fine. Could there be another reason for the problem?

Please read this part again:

I then tried experimenting a bit and here’s the interesting part; Whenever I grant a user complete access to my entire library of movies under “Manage Library Access” instead of a single media, then the user can successfully download subtitles again

By this I can conclude that the subtitles are in fact working but only when the user has full access to my library.

6

As far as I know, Plex doesn’t really let you adjust permissions for just one movie so that subtitles can be downloaded without giving access to the whole library. But you could try sharing a larger group of media, like a whole folder or collection, instead of just one movie. This could be a good compromise between keeping things secure and making sure everything works smoothly. You’ll need PLEX support for this one, otherwise.

7

Was out of town for a week, I return, and now I’m getting the “unable to download subtitles” error. Nothing on my end had changed

I’ve got the latest media server, and these “support” suggestions need to be a little more “regular guy friendly.” Like…how do I ensure my Plex has “unlimited Internet access?”

And, I’m seeing no agents for Subtitles.org in my settings, and when I do attempt to change the agent priority or settings, none of them “stick.”

this is damned annoying.

1 Like
8

Same here, this is really annoying. I switch back to Plex from Jellyfin because I was sick of things silently breaking. What the heck guys!

9

I have the same problem, I think it’s something with opensubtitles, because Jellyfin can’t also download subtitles anymore…

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