Summary
- An SRT file is a plain-text subtitle file. Every caption ("cue") has four parts: a number, a timing line, one or two lines of text and a blank line.
- Timings use the pattern
HH:MM:SS,mmm --> HH:MM:SS,mmm, with a comma before the milliseconds. That comma, missing blank lines and the wrong text encoding cause most rejected uploads.
- You can open an SRT in any text editor, or load it next to the video in a media player.
- Create an SRT from your video in Video to Subtitles, then check it in the free SRT validator before you upload it.
An SRT file is the most widely accepted subtitle format there is. Video editors, web players, social platforms and course hosts all read it, and because it is plain text you can open it in any text editor and see exactly what is inside.
That simplicity is also why SRT files break so easily. One dot where a comma should be, one missing blank line, or a file saved in the wrong encoding, and the upload fails or half the captions disappear. This guide shows a real SRT example, explains every part of the format, and walks through opening, creating, checking and fixing one with free tools. For the one-line definition, see our SRT file glossary entry.
Need an SRT right now? Upload your video to Video to Subtitles and download a timed SRT, with a VTT from the same cues.
SRT file example
Here is a short, valid SRT file. Copy it into a text editor, save it as example.srt with UTF-8 encoding, and it will load in most players:
1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,200
Welcome to the product walkthrough.
2
00:00:04,300 --> 00:00:08,000
We'll cover setup, exports
and delivery.
3
00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:11,500
Let's start with the upload.
Three cues, each one separated by an empty line. That's the whole format: no header, no styling block, no metadata.
The 4 parts of every SRT cue
| Part |
Example |
Rule |
| 1. Sequence number |
2 |
A whole number on its own line, counting up from 1 |
| 2. Timing line |
00:00:04,300 --> 00:00:08,000 |
Start and end time separated by a space, two hyphens, a greater-than sign and a space |
| 3. Caption text |
We'll cover setup, exports / and delivery. |
One or two lines is the norm; each line ends with a line break |
| 4. Blank line |
(empty) |
Ends the cue. It is structural, not cosmetic |
How SRT timestamps work
Each time is written hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds, always with two digits for hours, minutes and seconds and three for milliseconds. So one minute, twenty-three seconds and 456 milliseconds is 00:01:23,456.
- The comma before the milliseconds is SRT's signature. WebVTT uses a dot instead, which is why renaming a
.vtt file to .srt (or the reverse) doesn't work.
- The end time must come after the start time.
- Cues should not overlap: the next cue should start at or after the previous one ends, unless your delivery spec allows overlapping cues for two speakers.
Text, line length and styling
SRT has no official styling. Some players honour basic tags like <i> for italics, but support is inconsistent, so don't rely on it for client delivery. If you need positioning or styling, you need WebVTT, a styled format such as ASS, or burned-in captions. Our guide to subtitle file formats compares them.
For readability, common subtitle practice is two lines at most per cue, about 42 characters per line and a reading speed of around 20 characters per second or slower. Fix Subtitles uses those targets when it repairs a file; if your client's spec sets other limits, follow the spec.
How to open an SRT file
You have three easy options:
- A text editor. Any plain-text editor opens an SRT. Avoid word processors, which can add formatting or change the encoding when you save.
- A media player. Most desktop video players load an SRT automatically when it has the same file name as the video (for example
talk.mp4 and talk.srt) and sits in the same folder. Many also have a "load subtitle file" option.
- A browser tool. Paste or upload the file into the free SRT validator to see every cue with its problems flagged by cue number. It runs in your browser, needs no account and accepts files up to 20 MB.
If the letters come out as gibberish (for example é instead of é), the file was saved in a legacy encoding. Re-save it as UTF-8, or use the encoding fix linked from Fix Subtitles.
How to create an SRT file
From a video (recommended). Typing timings by hand is slow and error-prone. Video to Subtitles takes MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, audio files and more, and returns timed cues you can download as SRT or VTT from the same upload. Free accounts handle files up to 30 minutes and 2 GB with no card; Pro handles files up to 4 hours. If you only want an SRT, the SRT generator and Video to SRT pages run the same workflow.
Free subtitle downloads include two short watermark cues, one at the start and one after the last cue. Pro removes them and lets you edit cues before you download.
From a transcript. If you already have a clean transcript, see whether a transcript can be converted into SRT captions automatically.
By hand. Fine for a few cues: follow the example above exactly, save as plain text with a .srt extension and UTF-8 encoding. Our step-by-step SRT guide covers it in detail.
Turn a video into an SRT now: start in Video to Subtitles, free with an account.
5 SRT errors that break uploads
| Error |
What you see |
Fix |
| Dot instead of comma in timings |
File rejected, or no captions show |
Convert properly; don't hand-edit separators across a long file |
| Missing blank line between cues |
Two cues merge, or everything after a point disappears |
Repair the structure with the SRT validator |
| Non-UTF-8 encoding |
Accented or non-Latin letters turn into gibberish |
Re-save as UTF-8 |
| Overlapping or reversed timings |
Captions flash, stack or vanish |
Fix Subtitles ends overlaps and gives fast cues more time |
| Broken or out-of-order numbering |
Some ingest systems refuse the file |
Use the one-click structure repair (Fix SRT File) linked from Fix Subtitles |
The validator can fix the safe structural problems in one click and tells you what it cannot fix. For a full walkthrough of each failure, read how to fix an SRT file, and if a client has already bounced the file, see subtitle file rejected by a client.
SRT vs VTT: which do you need?
|
SRT |
VTT (WebVTT) |
| Header |
None |
First line must be WEBVTT |
| Millisecond separator |
Comma |
Dot |
| Cue numbers |
Expected |
Optional identifiers |
| Styling and position |
Not official |
Cue settings and CSS |
HTML5 <track> element |
Not supported |
Supported |
| Best for |
Editors, desktop players, most uploads |
Web players and websites |
Need the other format? Convert with the free SRT to VTT converter or VTT to SRT converter. Both run in your browser and keep text and timing. Our VTT file guide covers WebVTT in depth.
What you can do with an SRT next
FAQ
What is an SRT file used for?
It carries the timed captions for a video as a separate file, so a player can show them and viewers can switch them on or off.
Can I open an SRT file without special software?
Yes. Any plain-text editor opens it, and most media players load it when it has the same name as the video and sits in the same folder.
Can I just rename an SRT to VTT?
No. VTT needs a WEBVTT header and dot milliseconds. Use the free SRT to VTT converter instead.
What encoding should an SRT file use?
UTF-8. Legacy encodings are the most common reason accented and non-Latin characters display incorrectly.
How do I make an SRT file from a video for free?
Upload the video to Video to Subtitles with a free account (files up to 30 minutes) and download the SRT. Free downloads include two short watermark cues; Pro removes them.
Next step
Create an SRT from your video, check it in the free SRT validator, and repair anything flagged in Fix Subtitles. For long recordings and clean files, Pro is $14.99/month or $120/year: files up to 4 hours, cue editing and no watermark cues. New Pro subscribers are covered by our refund policy.
Related guides and tools
Sources: W3C, "WebVTT: The Web Video Text Tracks Format" (https://www.w3.org/TR/webvtt1/) for the VTT side of the SRT vs VTT table; VideoText Video to Subtitles, SRT validator, Fix Subtitles, SRT to VTT, VTT to SRT, Translate Subtitles and pricing pages, https://videotext.io/video-to-subtitles, https://videotext.io/tools/subtitle-validator, https://videotext.io/fix-subtitles, https://videotext.io/tools/srt-to-vtt, https://videotext.io/tools/vtt-to-srt, https://videotext.io/translate-subtitles and https://videotext.io/pricing (checked October 31, 2026).