SubtitleMedic

Convert TXT to SRT

Have the words but no subtitle file? Load a .txt file, choose how the text is cut and how long each line stays, and download a .srt file you can then sync to your video.

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How to convert text to SRT subtitles

  1. Open your .txt file

    Drop a plain text file into the box above, or click to browse. Any language works, and the text encoding is detected for you. Nothing is uploaded.

  2. Choose how the text is cut

    “Line” makes a subtitle of every line and cuts long ones at sentences. “Paragraph” makes one subtitle of each block of text between blank lines, rows kept as you wrote them; a paragraph too long for two rows is cut like a long line.

  3. Choose how long each subtitle stays

    “Reading time” gives longer text more time. “Same for all” uses the seconds you type for every subtitle.

  4. Download the .srt file

    The preview lists every subtitle with its start and end time. Download it and it is saved with the name of your text file and the .srt extension.

Why turn text into subtitles

You have a script or a translation. Many people write subtitles as plain text first: a translation of a video, a script for a talk, lyrics for a music video. Video editors, YouTube and media players don’t read plain text, though. They need SubRip, where every line has a number and a start and end time.

You have a transcript. Speech-to-text services and meeting tools often export plain text. Turning it into an SRT file is the first step to captions on a video.

You want the structure right. Writing SRT by hand means typing a number, two timestamps in the exact 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500 form and a blank line for every subtitle. One typo and some players refuse the file. This tool writes all of that for you, in the format every player accepts.

What the tool does with your text

Cutting. In “Line” mode every non-empty line becomes at least one subtitle. A line longer than 84 characters, the most two rows of a subtitle comfortably hold, is cut where a sentence ends. Sentences that fit together share a subtitle; a sentence that is still too long is cut at a comma and finally between words.

Wrapping. A subtitle longer than 42 characters is put on two rows, broken at the space nearest the middle, so the rows are about even. That is the layout broadcasters and streaming services use.

Timing. Reading time is about one second per 15 characters, kept between 1.5 and 7 seconds: short lines don’t flash by, long ones don’t linger. Subtitles follow each other from 0:00 with a tenth of a second between them, so players never show two at once.

Tips

Line them up next. The times are a starting point, not a sync. Open the .srt in Shift Subtitle Timing with your video and move the subtitles until the first line appears when it is spoken.

Need WebVTT instead? For a web player, an HTML5 <track> or an online course, use Convert TXT to VTT, which does the same and writes a .vtt file.

Going the other way? To get the words out of an existing subtitle file, use Convert SRT to TXT. Want to know more about the format you are making? What is an SRT file? explains every part of it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert a TXT file to SRT?

Open the .txt file, choose whether each line or each paragraph becomes a subtitle, and choose how long each one stays. The preview shows every subtitle with its times. Download the .srt file, then line it up with your video.

Will the subtitles be in sync with my video?

Not by themselves. A text file holds no times, so the subtitles start at 0:00 and follow each other at reading pace. That gives you a correctly built SRT file to start from; move it into place with Shift Subtitle Timing, or adjust single lines in a subtitle editor.

My text has very long lines. What happens to them?

With “Line” selected, a line longer than two subtitle rows is cut at the end of a sentence, then at a comma, then between words, and each piece is wrapped onto at most two rows of 42 characters. Short lines stay as they are.

How long does each subtitle stay on screen?

With reading time, about one second for every 15 characters, never less than 1.5 seconds or more than 7. With “Same for all”, every subtitle stays the number of seconds you type. There is always 0.1 second between two subtitles.

My .txt file is actually an SRT file. Can I still open it?

If the file already has numbered lines with timestamps, it is a subtitle file with the wrong extension, and this page sends you to the tool that opens it. Rename it to .srt and any player will read it.

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. The text is read and turned into subtitles by JavaScript in this browser tab. It never leaves your device, and the tool keeps working if you go offline after the page has loaded.

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