Windows Explorer not showing the Title field and Subtitle shown in Explorer is

[dvaksvik]

I have noticed the following for some (not all) .mp4 files, e.g. an A.mp4 file I have on my drive:
1) The Subtitle value in Windows Explorer has a different value from what
exiftool -Subtitle a.mp4
shows.
2) When I set the Title (including when I set it in Windows Explorer), the Title will show in Exiftool with
exiftool -Title a.mp4
but it will not show in Windows Explorer.

https://1drv.ms/i/s!ArwfjwSSfFNwoKxkQ3cCJ_LdX-_NOg?e=5n4pa2

A "solution" to address this, is to
1) Make a copy of the file (copy a.mp4 to a-Copy.mp4)
2) Delete all metadata from a.mp4 with
exiftool -all= a.mp4
3) Copy the metadata back from a-copy.mp4 to a.mp4 with
exiftool -TagsFromFile a-Copy.mp4 a.mp4

At this point, I can see the Title value in Explorer. For some reason, the Subtitle does now NOT show in Explorer. However, I can now delete the subtitle with "exiftool -subtitle= a.mp4" and then set it again, and now it will show in Explorer.

https://1drv.ms/i/s!ArwfjwSSfFNwoKxlM_WNOjiv3135Jg?e=WJr5nC

Any idea of why this happens, and how this can be resolved in an easier way than shown above?

[Phil Harvey]

Have you seen this post by StarGeek ?

- Phil

[StarGeek]

Also, I think this is FAQ #3.

Exiftool will write ItemList:Subtitle by default, but Windows will instead read Microsoft:Subtitle.

Title can appear in ItemList:Title and Keys:Title.  Windows will only read the first one, but I believe Apple programs will write the second one.

Use the command in FAQ #3 to figure out where the tags are located and if there are duplicates in separate groups.

[dvaksvik]

Thanks to both of you (Phil and StarGeek). This seems fairly complex (at least for me).

I understand from the above that Exiftool writes to a different subtitle field (ItemList:Subtitle) than Windows Microsoft:Subtitle. It also seems that when Title is set in Windows Properties, multiple field values are set. Thanks for that information.

Also, any proposals for how I can resolve the issue for mp4 files so that I can set a Title that shows in Explorer (and hopefully also show with Exiftool) that is simpler than what I have listed in my first e-mail. Also, similar for Subtitle?