SRT to VTT converter

Convert subtitles from SRT to VTT, or VTT to SRT, keeping line breaks and italics. Fix captions that are out of sync, or save just the words. It all happens in your browser.

Your subtitles

Detected: SRT, 4 captions· an example

Converted in your browser: nothing is uploaded.

Shift the timing

In seconds: more to show captions later, less (like −1.5) to show them sooner.

subtitles.vtt

4 captions · 1 KB

WEBVTT

00:00:00.500 --> 00:00:02.800
Most people quit right before
it starts to work.

00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:05.400
<i>So here's what I do instead.</i>

00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:08.200
I post one clip a day, every day,
for thirty days.

00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:10.900
And I only look at the numbers
at the end of the month.

Download .vtt

How to convert SRT to VTT, and back

Open your subtitle file, drop it on the box, or paste its text. The converter tells you whether it's SRT or VTT and how many captions it found.
Check the format. It picks the other one for you: VTT for an SRT file, SRT for a VTT file. Choose Plain text for just the words.
Shift the timing if the captions show too early or too late.
Download the new file, or copy its text.

SRT and VTT: what's the difference?

Both are plain text files of captions, each with a start time, an end time and its words. SRT (SubRip) is the older and simpler: numbered captions and times with a comma before the milliseconds. VTT (WebVTT) was made for video on the web: it starts with a WEBVTT line, writes times with a dot, and can say where each caption sits and how it looks.

SRT and VTT subtitle files compared
	SRT	VTT
First line	The first caption's number	WEBVTT
A time	00:00:01,500	00:00:01.500, hours optional
Numbers	Every caption, from 1	Optional names
Position	Not in the format; some players read {\an8}	Settings like line:0 and align:start
Styling	Italic, bold, underline	Italic, bold, underline, colors, speakers
Comments	No	NOTE blocks

Which to use: a video on a web page needs VTT, since the HTML video player only reads WebVTT for its captions. YouTube takes either, though it ignores styling in SRT files. When an editing app or upload form asks for one, give it that one: converting takes a second.

What carries over

Line breaks, italics, bold and underline carry over both ways. A caption SRT puts at the top of the screen with {\an8} becomes line:0 in VTT, and back. What SRT can't hold is left out when converting VTT to SRT: other positions, colors and classes, comments and style blocks. A speaker's name from a VTT voice tag stays, written before their words.

Converting a file to its own format, to shift it, keeps everything in it as it was.

Fixing subtitles that are out of sync

When every caption is off by the same amount, a shift fixes it. Play the video, note when the first line is said, and compare it with the first caption's start time: if the words come at 0:04.2 and the caption at 0:02.7, shift by 1.5 seconds. Captions that would start before 0:00 are cut to start there, or left out if they'd end before it.

When captions start in sync and drift further off as the video goes on, the file was made for a version of the video at another frame rate or with a different edit, and one shift can't fix every line. Match the file to the video it was made for instead.

Captions on short clips

Captions keep people watching a clip with the sound off. To put an SRT file on a vertical video as big, word-by-word captions, use add captions to video. For the styles that work and where to put them, read how to caption short videos.

Questions

How do I convert SRT to VTT?

Paste the SRT file's text, or open the file, and VTT is picked for you. Check the result on the right, then press Download .vtt. The times get dots instead of commas, the numbers go, and a WEBVTT line goes at the top.

How do I convert VTT to SRT?

The same way: open or paste the VTT file and SRT is picked. Captions are numbered, times get commas, and what SRT can't hold, like positions and colors, is left out. Italics, bold and underline stay.

Does YouTube take SRT or VTT?

Both. YouTube's help lists SubRip (.srt) and WebVTT (.vtt) among the files you can upload. It ignores styling in SRT files; in VTT it reads positions and bold, italic and underline.

How do I fix subtitles that are out of sync?

Find how far off they are: play the video, note when the first line is said, and compare it with the first time in the file. Type the difference in Shift the timing (negative to show them sooner) and download the fixed file.

Can I get just the text, as a transcript?

Yes: choose Plain text. You get the words of each caption on its own line, without times, numbers or formatting, and without the repeated lines rolling auto-captions have.

Is it free? Is my file uploaded?

It's free, with nothing to sign up for. The file is read and converted in your browser, and isn't sent anywhere.

Clips captioned for you

Paste a YouTube link and Clyper finds the best moments, frames them vertically and captions every word, in one of 5 styles: up to 30 clips per video, no subtitle file needed.