Subtitle Converter
100% private — runs on your device, never uploaded. Works offline once loaded.
Three things go wrong with subtitle files, and this fixes all of them. The format may be wrong — browsers and HTML5 video want WebVTT, almost everything else wants SRT, and YouTube also takes SBV. The timing may be uniformly out, which a shift of a second or two corrects. Or the drift may grow through the film, which means the subtitles were written for a different frame rate — 23.976 against 25 is the classic pairing — and needs the timings stretched rather than moved. You can also strip styling tags, or export just the words as a plain transcript. Conversion happens as you type, entirely in your browser.
SRT, WebVTT and SBV
SRT is the oldest and most widely accepted: a number, a timing line with a comma before the milliseconds, and the text. WebVTT is the web standard — it starts with a WEBVTT line, uses a full stop rather than a comma, drops the numbering and adds positioning, styling and cue identifiers. HTML5 video accepts only WebVTT, which is why so many people arrive here with an SRT and a player that ignores it. SBV is YouTube’s own older format, still accepted by its caption uploader.
Because the three are so close, converting between them loses nothing that matters, other than WebVTT positioning when you convert to SRT — which SRT has no way to express.
Out of sync by a constant, or drifting?
These are different faults with different fixes, and using the wrong one makes things worse. If the subtitles are wrong by the same amount all the way through — two seconds early at the start and two seconds early at the end — they need shifting. If they start almost right and drift further out as the film goes on, the file was timed for a different frame rate and needs every timestamp multiplied, not moved. The classic case is a 25 fps European broadcast against a 23.976 fps film transfer, which drifts by about four seconds every hour and a half.
To tell which you have, check the first line and a line near the end. Same error at both: shift. Growing error: frame-rate fix.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my browser ignore my .srt file?
HTML5 video only supports WebVTT. Convert the file to .vtt and point the <track> element at that.
Can I edit the text as well?
Yes — paste the subtitles in, edit them in the box, and the converted output updates as you type.
Does it handle subtitles in any language?
Yes. Files are read as UTF-8 text, so scripts and accents are preserved exactly as they were.
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