Online Tools To Help You With Your Subtitles
Subtitles make videos more accessible and useful for learners. Here are useful tools and tips to work with subtitles.
Featured Guides
How to Fix VLC Subtitles Displaying as Boxes
Complete guide to fixing subtitle display issues in VLC Media Player. Learn how to fix subtitles showing as boxes, question marks, or weird symbols for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and other non-Latin scripts.
How to Fix Out-of-Sync Subtitles: Complete Timing Guide
Step-by-step guide to fixing subtitle timing issues. Learn how to sync subtitles that are too fast, too slow, or drift over time using our free online tools.
Tutorials & Guides
SRT vs VTT vs ASS: Complete Subtitle Format Guide
Comprehensive comparison of subtitle formats. Learn the differences between SRT, VTT, and ASS, and which format is best for your use case.
Complete Guide to UTF-8 Encoding for Subtitles
Everything you need to know about UTF-8 encoding for subtitles. Fix garbled characters, understand encoding types, and convert files safely.
How to Convert DVD Subtitles (SUB/IDX) to Editable Text
Learn how to extract and convert image-based DVD subtitles (SUB/IDX) to editable SRT text format using OCR technology.
How to Clean Messy Subtitle Files: Remove Tags, Labels & Noise
Clean up auto-generated subtitles by removing HTML tags, speaker labels, SDH annotations, and formatting noise for cleaner subtitle files.
Recommended workflow on Subconverter
Here is a clean, privacy‑friendly flow that works well for most users:
- Start with the correct source. If you have image‑based subtitles: use Convert SUP to SRT or Convert SUB/IDX to SRT.
- If you already have text subtitles: jump straight to Convert to SRT or Convert to VTT.
- Fix timing globally with Subtitle Sync Shifter or only certain parts with Partial Shifter.
- Clean up formatting, tags and noise using SRT Cleaner.
- Optional styling: apply a single safe color with Change Subtitle Color.
- Need one file from multiple tracks? Use Merge Subtitles.
- Ensure files are readable everywhere by converting to UTF‑8 text.
When to use which tool
- Have a Blu‑ray/DVD subtitle (.sup / VobSub .sub+.idx)? Convert with SUP/SUBIDX converters first.
- Timing constant offset? Use Sync Shifter (enter milliseconds, negative = earlier).
- Timing differs by segments? Use Partial Shifter with ranges.
- Messy tags / lyrics / SDH labels? Use SRT Cleaner to strip parentheses, HTML, music notes and speaker labels.
- Need browser‑ready captions? Convert to WebVTT.
- Learning Chinese? Create a pinyin version with Chinese Pinyin.
Check Your File Encoding First
Ensure your subtitles are compatible across all players and editors by converting to UTF-8 encoding
Best practices
- Keep one canonical source (usually SRT in UTF‑8). Re‑generate other formats from it.
- Avoid heavy styling; many players ignore advanced tags and may show raw markup.
- Prevent drift: after shifting, scrub through several timestamps to confirm sync.
- Archive multiple files into ZIP before uploading for batch operations.
Subtitle formats at a glance
- SRT: simplest and most compatible. Great for archiving and editing.
- WebVTT: web‑friendly (browsers/players). Supports positioning and notes.
- ASS/SSA: rich styling (karaoke, fonts). Best for fansubs and advanced effects.
- SUP / SUB+IDX: image‑based. Requires OCR to become editable (use SUP/SUBIDX tools).
Common conversion pitfalls (and fixes)
- Garbled characters: convert to UTF‑8, then reopen in your editor/player.
- Overlapping cues after ASS→SRT: use SRT Cleaner and review timing in a player.
- Wrong language after SUP OCR: re‑run with the correct Tesseract language; filenames often hint the language.
- Foreign‑language lines missing: merge a secondary track with Merge Subtitles.
Fix Messy Subtitle Files Instantly
Remove unwanted HTML tags, speaker labels, music notes, and SDH annotations. Get clean, professional subtitles in seconds with our powerful SRT Cleaner tool.
Batch processing tips
- Zip multiple files before upload for faster, more reliable processing.
- Group by language and source to keep workflows predictable.
- After batch convert, use result page ZIP to download everything at once.
Combine Multiple Subtitle Tracks
Merge foreign dialogue, SDH, and commentary tracks into a single subtitle file. Perfect for complex multi-track workflows.
Try Combine Multiple Subtitle TracksPrivacy and housekeeping
We aim to keep processing ephemeral. Avoid uploading sensitive content when possible, and remove results after download. Stats are anonymized and used to improve performance and capacity planning.
FAQ
Will my files be private? We process files automatically and do not share them. For sensitive content, prefer temporary sessions and remove results after download.
Why do I see boxes/symbols? Convert text to UTF‑8 and pick a Unicode font in your player.
My timing is sometimes early, sometimes late. Use the Partial Shifter and set ranges.