Move a caption file between SRT, VTT and ASS, or take the timings out entirely and keep the words.
Open a project in the editor and go to Captions.
Bring in your .srt, .vtt or .ass file. The cues and timings are read in as they are.
Download it as SRT, VTT, ASS or TXT, or burn the captions into the video instead.
Caption formats look interchangeable and are not. Picking the wrong one usually shows up as a video that plays with no captions at all and no error explaining why.
The short version: the browser takes WebVTT only, platforms and desktop editors mostly want SubRip, ASS is the one that can carry a look, and TXT is not a caption format at all but is what you want when the destination is a document.
| Format | Full name | Carries styling | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRT | SubRip | No | Platform uploads, desktop editors, the safe default |
| VTT | WebVTT | Some | Video on a web page, via the HTML5 track element |
| ASS | Advanced SubStation Alpha | Yes | Local playback and typesetting where the look matters |
| TXT | Plain text | No | Transcripts, show notes, anything read rather than watched |
Going from a simpler format to a richer one never loses anything: an SRT converted to ASS keeps every word and timing and gains the ability to be styled, with a default applied that you can then change.
Going the other way drops what the destination cannot express. ASS to SRT loses fonts, colours, positioning and any karaoke or effect tags, keeping only the text and timings. If the styling is the point, burning the captions into the video keeps the appearance permanently instead.
SRT (SubRip), VTT (WebVTT) and ASS (Advanced SubStation Alpha) can each be read, and any of them can be written out as SRT, VTT, ASS or plain TXT.
VTT for a video on a web page, because the HTML5 track element accepts nothing else. SRT for uploading to a platform or opening in a desktop editor. ASS when the appearance of the captions matters. TXT when you want a transcript rather than captions.
No. Converting between SRT, VTT and ASS keeps the cue timings exactly. Converting to TXT deliberately discards them, because a transcript has no use for them.
Only styling, and only in one direction. Going from ASS to SRT or VTT drops fonts, colours and positioning, because those formats cannot express them. Going the other way adds a default style you can then change.
Free, in the browser, and you can burn the captions into the video in the same place.