How to convert subtitles to plain text
Convert subtitle files into plain text transcripts by removing timing, cue numbers, WebVTT metadata, and ASS styling.
Read guideWorkflow guides (53)
End-to-end workflows for cleaning, preparing, and delivering subtitle files — covering common publishing, editing, and troubleshooting scenarios.
How to choose
Use these guides for end-to-end subtitle jobs
Workflow guides cover practical jobs that involve more than one format decision, such as preparing captions for YouTube, extracting subtitles from video files, building bilingual subtitles, or cleaning files before delivery.
- Follow a complete subtitle preparation path from source file to final upload.
- Handle privacy-sensitive browser-local workflows without sending files to a server.
- Combine conversion, cleanup, timing, and review steps in the right order.
How to extract hardcoded subtitles from video
Learn whether hardcoded or burned-in video subtitles can be extracted, when OCR is required, and how to check for an embedded text track before uploading video.
Read guideHow to extract SRT from MKV
Extract an SRT subtitle file from an MKV video by checking embedded text tracks, language order, image subtitle limits, and cleanup steps.
Read guideHow to extract subtitles from AVI
Check AVI files for embedded subtitle tracks locally, understand why most AVI captions are sidecar or burned in, and save text captions without uploading the video.
Read guideHow to extract subtitles from M4V
Extract embedded captions from M4V files locally, check whether the video has a real text track, and save subtitles without uploading the file.
Read guideHow to extract subtitles from MOV
Extract embedded text captions from MOV files locally, check whether the video has a real subtitle track, and save captions without uploading the file.
Read guideHow to extract subtitles from MP4
Extract embedded text captions from MP4 files locally, check whether the video has a real subtitle track, and save captions without uploading the file.
Read guideHow to extract subtitles from VOB
Check VOB and DVD video files for subtitle streams locally, understand VobSub sidecar files, and know when OCR is required instead.
Read guideHow to extract subtitles from WebM
Extract embedded WebVTT-style captions from WebM files locally, check whether the video has a real text track, and save captions without uploading the file.
Read guideHow to extract subtitles from WMV
Check WMV and Windows Media files for embedded subtitle tracks locally, understand sidecar captions, and know when OCR is required instead.
Read guideFix subtitles that are too long
Shorten subtitles that are too long by checking caption line length, cue duration, reading speed, and line breaks before upload or playback.
Read guideHow to merge subtitle files
Combine two subtitle files into one merged output, then review cue order, overlaps, and final timing before delivery.
Read guideHow to remove timestamps from ASS subtitles
Remove ASS subtitle timestamps, dialogue fields, styling metadata, and override tags to create clean plain text for review or translation.
Read guideHow to remove timestamps from SRT
Remove SRT timestamps and cue numbers to turn SubRip subtitles into clean plain text for transcripts, notes, or translation.
Read guideHow to remove timestamps from SSA subtitles
Remove old SSA subtitle timestamps, dialogue fields, style sections, and metadata to create clean plain text for review or translation.
Read guideHow to remove timestamps from subtitles
Remove subtitle timestamps, cue numbers, WebVTT headers, and caption metadata to create a clean plain text transcript.
Read guideHow to remove timestamps from VTT
Remove WebVTT timestamps and cue settings to turn VTT captions into a clean plain text transcript.
Read guideWhy Android captions are not showing
Diagnose captions that work on desktop but fail on Android phones by checking WebVTT files, delivery headers, mobile browser controls, and HTML5 track setup.
Read guideWhy Chrome captions are not showing
Diagnose captions that fail in Chrome by checking WebVTT files, delivery headers, cross-origin access, and HTML5 track markup.
Read guideWhy downloaded video has no subtitles
Diagnose why a downloaded video has no subtitles by checking whether captions were separate files, embedded tracks, or burned-in video text.
Read guideWhy Edge captions are not showing
Diagnose captions that fail in Microsoft Edge by checking WebVTT files, delivery headers, cross-origin access, and HTML5 track markup.
Read guideWhy Firefox captions are not showing
Diagnose captions that fail in Firefox by checking WebVTT files, delivery headers, cross-origin requests, and HTML5 track setup.
Read guideWhy iPhone subtitles are not showing
Diagnose subtitles that work on desktop but fail on iPhone or iPad by checking WebVTT files, mobile Safari controls, delivery headers, and HTML5 track setup.
Read guideWhy MKV subtitles are not showing
Fix subtitles that do not show with an MKV file by checking embedded tracks, external SRT naming, player support, encoding, and timing.
Read guideWhy MOV subtitles are not showing
Fix subtitles that do not show with a MOV file by checking embedded tracks, external SRT naming, QuickTime support, encoding, and timing.
Read guideWhy MP4 subtitles are not showing
Fix subtitles that do not show with an MP4 by checking embedded tracks, external SRT naming, player support, encoding, and timing.
Read guideWhy Plyr captions are not showing
Diagnose Plyr subtitle and caption problems by checking the VTT file, track element, server headers, and player initialization.
Read guideWhy Safari captions are not showing
Diagnose captions that work in Chrome but fail in Safari, iPhone, or iPad by checking WebVTT files, delivery headers, and HTML track setup.
Read guideWhy TV subtitles are not showing
Fix subtitles that show on a computer but not on a TV by checking SRT format, file naming, USB folder placement, encoding, and device support.
Read guideWhy VLC subtitles are not showing
Fix VLC subtitles that do not show by checking file loading, subtitle format, encoding, track settings, file naming, and timing.
Read guideWhy WebM subtitles are not showing
Fix subtitles that do not show with a WebM video by checking embedded tracks, external VTT files, HTML5 player setup, delivery, and timing.
Read guideHow to extract subtitles from a video
Extract embedded subtitle tracks from MP4, MKV, MOV, WebM, AVI, VOB, WMV, and M4V files locally, then save or clean the captions as a separate subtitle file.
Read guideBest SRT settings for YouTube upload
Prepare SRT subtitles for YouTube by using clean timestamps, UTF-8 text encoding, simple cue structure, and readable caption lines.
Read guideHow to add multiple subtitle languages to HTML5 video
Add multiple subtitle languages to HTML5 video by preparing separate WebVTT files with language codes, labels, and track elements.
Read guideHow to create a transcript from subtitles
Create a readable transcript from SRT, VTT, or ASS subtitle files by extracting caption text and removing timing metadata.
Read guideHow to fix CORS errors for VTT subtitles
Fix WebVTT subtitle CORS errors by serving caption files from an allowed origin and checking track URLs, headers, and browser requests.
Read guideHow to fix subtitle line breaks
Fix messy subtitle line breaks by cleaning SRT or VTT spacing, preserving readable cue text, and avoiding awkward caption wraps before upload or review.
Read guideHow to fix VTT MIME type for HTML5 video
Fix WebVTT captions that fail in HTML5 video by checking the VTT file, track element, and server content type for .vtt files.
Read guideHow to name subtitle files for Plex
Name external subtitle files for Plex by matching the video filename, adding language codes, and keeping subtitles beside the media file.
Read guideHow to remove HTML tags from subtitles
Remove leftover HTML tags from SRT, VTT, or ASS subtitle text while preserving readable captions, cue timing, and upload-safe subtitle structure.
Read guideWhy JW Player captions are not showing
Fix JW Player captions that do not show by checking VTT formatting, caption file URLs, player tracks, MIME type, and CORS settings.
Read guideWhy Plex subtitles are not showing
Fix Plex subtitles that do not show by checking file naming, subtitle format, library scanning, encoding, and device compatibility.
Read guideWhy Video.js captions are not showing
Fix Video.js captions that do not show by checking WebVTT format, track configuration, file URLs, MIME type, and CORS.
Read guideWhy Vimeo captions are not showing
Fix Vimeo captions that do not show by checking caption format, WebVTT output, language track setup, and embed playback behavior.
Read guideWhy YouTube subtitle upload failed
Diagnose YouTube subtitle upload failures by checking SRT structure, timestamp formatting, encoding, file type, and unsupported styling.
Read guideHow to create dual-language subtitles
Build bilingual subtitles by combining translated lines with existing subtitle timing and checking the result in one subtitle file.
Read guideHow to extract subtitles from MKV
Extract embedded text subtitles from MKV files locally, check whether the stream is text-based, and save captions as a separate subtitle file.
Read guideHow to merge two SRT files
Merge two SRT subtitle files into one sorted and renumbered output, then check timing, overlaps, and cue order before delivery.
Read guidePrepare subtitles for YouTube upload
Learn how to prepare subtitles for YouTube upload. Clean formatting, fix timing, and ensure UTF-8 encoding. Free tools and complete checklist included.
Read guideWhy subtitles do not show in HTML5 video
Diagnose HTML5 video subtitles that do not show by checking WebVTT format, track setup, response headers, browser behavior, and player delivery issues.
Read guideClean subtitle formatting before upload
Clean subtitle formatting before upload. Remove extra spaces, fix cue numbers, and strip styling tags. Free tool prepares files for any platform instantly.
Read guideBest subtitle format for YouTube
Choose the best subtitle format for YouTube. Use SRT for reliable uploads, convert VTT or ASS when needed, and validate captions before publishing.
Read guideWhen to use ASS instead of SRT
Learn when ASS subtitles are worth using instead of SRT for styling, positioning, editing control, and delivery workflows.
Read guideBrowse the rest of the guide library
Conversion guides
Format-specific tutorials for getting subtitle files ready for the right destination.
Open clusterSubtitle sync fixes
Repair timing drift, malformed timestamps, and other subtitle file problems.
Open clusterFormat comparisons
Choose the right subtitle format for browser playback, uploads, and delivery.
Open cluster