Subtitle Delay Fixer — Sync Early, Late or Drifting Subtitles

Captions show up too early, too late, or drift further out of sync as the video goes on? Fix the timing from one or two lines you can hear. Free, no account, runs in your browser.

Part of VideoText’s free subtitle tool cluster

Every converter and checker here links back to one hub so you can find the right tool fast — browse all free subtitle tools.

Free Subtitle Tools hub →

Choose file

Drop your SRT file here, or click to choose it

No account. Runs in your browser; the file isn't uploaded.

Move every caption by (seconds)

Direction

Captions show up before the words are spoken? Move them later. After? Move them earlier.

Don’t stop at the download

Next: fix, translate, burn, or generate from video

Out of sync, overlapping, or CPS fail? Use Fix. Need another language or hardcoded captions? Those are one click away.

Fix this file in one click →Translate Burn Video to Subtitles

⚡ Skip the manual steps

Turn any video into a transcript

Upload once. Get a transcript, speaker labels, and subtitles.

✓A full transcript in one upload
✓Accurate captions in 104 languages for subtitle translation with speaker detection
✓Works with YouTube, podcasts, Zoom, TikTok & more

Try AI Transcription — free →Generate subtitles

Is it a delay or a drift?

Play the video at the start and again near the end, and compare when a line is spoken with when its caption appears.

The same amount off both times: a delay. The subtitles were made for a version with a different intro, or the video was trimmed at the start. Move every caption by that amount.
Close at the start, further off at the end: a drift. The subtitles were timed on a different frame rate (for example 23.976 fps subtitles on a 25 fps video, about 4% off, more than 4 minutes across a feature film) or a different cut. A single shift can't fix this; two-point sync can.
Fine, then suddenly off from one scene on: something was cut or added at that point. Split the file there, or fix that section in your editor.

How two-point sync works

Pick one line near the start and one near the end, and type the time each is actually spoken in the video. The tool works out the delay and the stretch between them and applies both to every caption in the file. If the stretch matches a common frame-rate mismatch, it tells you which one, which is a good sign the two times you typed are right. Text and line breaks are never changed.

Finding the time a line is spoken

Pause the video on the first frame where the speaker starts the line and read the player's time. VLC, Premiere Pro, CapCut, and YouTube all show it. Times can be typed as 1:02:03.5, 02:03.5, or just seconds (123.5). Lines that start right after a pause are easiest to place exactly; avoid lines that start mid-sentence.

Imported into Premiere or CapCut and now out of sync?

If the subtitles line up with the video in a player but not in your editor, look at the timeline first: a speed change or a changed frame-rate interpretation on the clip, or video that doesn't start at the beginning of the timeline, moves the picture but not the captions. If the subtitles came from a transcription tool and were made from a different export of the video, two-point sync with one line near the start and one near the end brings them back in line.

1
Drop in your SRT file
Or paste it. The lines appear in the pickers so you can choose ones you can hear clearly.
2
Choose delay or drift
For a delay, enter the seconds or work them out from one line. For a drift, pick a line near the start and one near the end and type when each is spoken.
3
Download the synced SRT
Every caption is moved; text is untouched. Play the start, middle, and end to check before you import.

How do I fix a subtitle delay?▼

If captions appear before the words are spoken, move them later; if after, move them earlier. Enter the number of seconds, or pick a line and type when you hear it and the tool works out the delay for you.

Why do my subtitles get more out of sync as the video goes on?▼

The subtitles were timed for a different frame rate or a different cut of the video. Every caption is off by a slightly bigger amount than the one before. Use the "Gets worse as the video goes on" option to stretch the timing between two lines you can hear.

Can I fix 23.976 fps subtitles on a 25 fps video?▼

Yes. Use two-point sync with a line near the start and one near the end. If your times are right, the tool reports a stretch matching 23.976 to 25 fps.

Does it change the subtitle text?▼

No. Only start and end times change. Cues are renumbered 1, 2, 3 in the download, which every editor expects.

What if captions would move before 0:00?▼

Times that would go below zero are set to 0:00. If that affects several captions at the start, the subtitles probably include lines that aren't in your version of the video.

Can it sync subtitles automatically from the audio?▼

This free tool uses times you type. Fix Subtitles can measure the delay and drift from your video's audio instead, so you don't have to find the times yourself.

Does it work with VTT?▼

This tool writes SRT. To move every caption in a WebVTT file by a set amount and keep the VTT format, use Shift Subtitle Timing.

Subtitle Delay Fixer — Sync Early, Late or Drifting Subtitles

Part of VideoText’s free subtitle tool cluster

Next: fix, translate, burn, or generate from video

Turn any video into a transcript

Related VideoText Tools