What Is an SRT File?

Direct definition

An SRT (SubRip) file is a plain-text subtitle format. Each cue has an index, a start and end timecode using comma milliseconds, one or two lines of text, and a blank line.

The sections below explain how SRT file is used in transcription and subtitle work, what people often mix up, and which VideoText workflow applies when the next step is a file or review pass.

Key takeaways

• SRT is widely supported by editors, YouTube, and most subtitle tools.
• Timestamps use a comma before milliseconds, not a dot.
• An SRT stores timed cues. Creating one from a video is a separate step from understanding the format.

How an SRT cue is structured

A minimal cue looks like this:

• 1
• 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,000
• Welcome to the recording.
• (blank line)

Why SRT is common

It is simple to edit in any text editor and easy to validate. It does not natively carry the styling and region features of WebVTT or TTML.

SRT vs WebVTT

WebVTT is a W3C format for HTML5 video. It uses a WEBVTT header and dot milliseconds. Convert, do not rename the extension, if a player expects VTT.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just change .srt to .vtt?

No. VTT needs a header and usually dot milliseconds. Convert the file rather than renaming the extension.

Related terms

• WebVTT
• caption file
• timecode
• subtitle synchronization
• All glossary terms

Sources

1. Matroska / SubRip community documentation: SRT subtitle format (widely documented cue layout)
2. W3C: WebVTT: The Web Video Text Tracks Format