Caption file converter: .srt to .vtt and back
talkcuts' free caption converter turns an .srt caption file into .vtt, a .vtt into .srt, or either into plain text. It also cleans YouTube's downloaded auto-captions, where every line shows twice, and can remove um and uh, shift every time, or re-wrap long lines. It runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Updated 4 November 2026. Free, nothing is uploaded.
Which one do I need, .srt or .vtt?
- .vtt for a video player on a website (the HTML video player reads WebVTT) and for some course and video hosts.
- .srt for most editing apps, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn uploads, and when you're not sure.
- Plain text for show notes, a blog post or a transcript to read. A new paragraph starts after each pause of 2 seconds or more.
Both kinds hold the same thing: a start time, an end time and the words, for every caption. Check your app's help page for what it accepts.
What does the cleaning do?
- Always: removes YouTube's repeated lines, word timings and 0.01-second flash captions, and styling tags a player may show as text.
- If you choose: removes um and uh, sound labels, speaker names; moves every time earlier or later; re-wraps long lines.
42 characters a line, at most 2 lines, is the limit in Netflix's English caption style guide, a common rule of thumb for wide video.
Sources: W3C, "WebVTT: The Web Video Text Tracks Format"; Netflix, "English (USA) Timed Text Style Guide". Both checked 4 November 2026.
Want clips with captions already on them?
talkcuts finds the best 2 or 3 moments in your episode and cuts each into a vertical clip with captions, starting and ending on a full sentence.
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Questions
What is the difference between .srt and .vtt?
Both are caption files: plain text with a start time, an end time and the words for each caption. .srt (SubRip) uses a comma before the milliseconds and numbers each caption. .vtt (WebVTT) starts with the word WEBVTT, uses a dot before the milliseconds, and is the format web video players read. Most video apps take .srt.
Can it fix YouTube's downloaded captions?
Yes. YouTube's automatic captions, downloaded as .vtt, show each line twice as the text rolls up, with word timings inside the text. The converter removes the repeats, the word timings and the very short flash captions, so you get each line once.
Does it change my words?
Only if you ask. By default it only converts the format and removes the YouTube repeats and styling tags. Removing um and uh, sound labels like [laughs], and speaker names are options you switch on under More options.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The file is read and converted in your own browser and never sent to us or saved anywhere.
Is it free?
Yes. No account and no email, use it as often as you like.
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