Glossary
What is an SRT file?
An SRT file is a plain-text subtitle file: a list of numbered cues, each giving a start and end time and the words to show on screen during it, which video players, video editors and video sites read as subtitles.
SRT stands for SubRip Subtitle, and NoteOwl, a Mac app for private AI meeting notes, exports any transcript as an SRT subtitle file on your Mac.
What is the SRT file format?
A series of cues separated by blank lines. Each cue has a number, a timing line written HH:MM:SS,mmm --> HH:MM:SS,mmm, and the text to show on screen, on one or more lines.
SRT has no formal specification, so plain text works everywhere. Simple tags such as <i> for italics work in many players, but not all.
1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:06,180 Daniel Okafor: Hello Maya, thanks for jumping on. Priya is here with me too. 2 00:00:07,050 --> 00:00:11,420 Priya Shah: Ha, good to talk again. I’ve got my notes from the kickoff open. 3 00:00:12,310 --> 00:00:16,900 Maya Rao: Hi both, thanks for sorting out the analytics access.
Three cues from the opening of a meeting, each line starting with the speaker’s name.
- Cue number
- Example
1 - RuleCounts up from 1, one number per cue, on a line of its own.
- Timing
- Example
00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:06,180 - RuleStart and end as hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds, with a comma before the milliseconds and an arrow (-->) between the two times.
- Text
- Example
Daniel Okafor: Hello Maya, … - RuleThe words shown on screen during that time, usually on one or two lines.
- Blank line
- Example
(empty) - RuleEnds the cue. The next cue number starts on the line after it.
| Part | Example | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Cue number | 1 | Counts up from 1, one number per cue, on a line of its own. |
| Timing | 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:06,180 | Start and end as hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds, with a comma before the milliseconds and an arrow (-->) between the two times. |
| Text | Daniel Okafor: Hello Maya, … | The words shown on screen during that time, usually on one or two lines. |
| Blank line | (empty) | Ends the cue. The next cue number starts on the line after it. |
What does SRT stand for?
SRT stands for SubRip Subtitle, sometimes written SubRip Text. SubRip was a free Windows program that copied subtitles from video into text files, and the .srt files it wrote became one of the most widely supported subtitle formats.
That is the SRT meaning for files and video. Elsewhere SRT can mean other things, such as Secure Reliable Transport, a protocol for streaming live video, but a file that ends in .srt is a subtitle file.
- Stands for
- SubRip Subtitle, sometimes written SubRip Text
- File extension
- .srt
- What’s inside
- Plain text: numbered cues, each with a start time, an end time and the words
- Time format
- HH:MM:SS,mmm, such as 00:01:05,250
- Between cues
- One blank line
- Text encoding
- Usually UTF-8
- Opens in
- Any text editor, and most video players and video editors
- Media type
- application/x-subrip
What is an SRT file used for?
Showing subtitles or captions with a video. A player, an editor or a video site reads the cues and shows each line on screen for exactly the time its cue gives, and because the file is separate from the video, viewers can turn it on or off.
Watching with subtitles
Many video players load an SRT file you open alongside the video, and many find it by themselves when it has the same name as the video and sits in the same folder.
Uploading a video
YouTube and other video sites accept an SRT file as the subtitles or closed captions for a video you upload.
Editing video
Video editors import an SRT file as a caption track, so the timed text lines up with the clips and can be edited with them.
Accessibility
Captions let people who are deaf or hard of hearing follow a video, and let anyone watch with the sound off.
A timed transcript
Because it is plain text with a time on every line, an SRT file is also a transcript you can search and quote from.
What is the difference between SRT and VTT?
VTT, or WebVTT, is the subtitle format made for web video. It starts with a WEBVTT line, puts a full stop before the milliseconds instead of a comma, makes cue numbers optional and adds positioning and styling. SRT is simpler and widely accepted by players and editors.
- Full name
- SRTSubRip Subtitle
- VTTWeb Video Text Tracks (WebVTT)
- First line
- SRTThe first cue number
- VTTWEBVTT
- Cue numbers
- SRTRequired, counting up from 1
- VTTOptional
- Time format
- SRT00:00:01,240, with a comma
- VTT00:00:01.240, with a full stop; hours can be left out
- Position and styling
- SRTNot part of the format; many players read simple tags such as <i> for italics
- VTTBuilt in: cue settings for position and alignment, CSS styling and voice tags
- Made for
- SRTVideo players and video editors
- VTTVideo on web pages, through the HTML <track> element
- Extension
- SRT.srt
- VTT.vtt
| SRT | VTT | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | SubRip Subtitle | Web Video Text Tracks (WebVTT) |
| First line | The first cue number | WEBVTT |
| Cue numbers | Required, counting up from 1 | Optional |
| Time format | 00:00:01,240, with a comma | 00:00:01.240, with a full stop; hours can be left out |
| Position and styling | Not part of the format; many players read simple tags such as <i> for italics | Built in: cue settings for position and alignment, CSS styling and voice tags |
| Made for | Video players and video editors | Video on web pages, through the HTML <track> element |
| Extension | .srt | .vtt |
How do you make an SRT file from a recording?
Transcribe the recording with a time on every line, then save the transcript as SRT. You can type cues by hand in a text editor, but an app that exports SRT times them for you: NoteOwl exports any transcript as an SRT subtitle file on your Mac.
Each subtitle starts with the speaker’s name when the transcript has one. The same Export sheet saves Markdown, PDF and plain text too: see how to export meeting notes from NoteOwl. Importing recordings is part of NoteOwl Pro, $79 once, with a 7-day free trial in the app.
- 1
Import the recording
In NoteOwl’s Transcripts, click Import Recording or drop an audio or video file on the window: mp3, wav, m4a, aiff, flac, aac or mp4.
- 2
Let NoteOwl transcribe it
NoteOwl transcribes the recording on your Mac, with the time each line was said and, by default, the speakers labelled.
- 3
Choose Save Subtitles
Click the share button at the top right, or right-click the recording and choose Export…, then click Save Subtitles.
- 4
Save the .srt file
Pick a folder and click Save. Each subtitle is timed from the transcript; a line with no time is left out, and NoteOwl tells you how many.
FAQ
Questions about SRT files
What does SRT mean on a video?
On a video, SRT means SubRip Subtitle: a separate .srt file of timed captions that the player shows over the picture. Because an SRT file is plain text, it can be edited in any text editor and turned on or off while you watch.
How do I open an SRT file on a Mac?
To read or edit an SRT file on a Mac, right-click it, choose Open With and pick TextEdit or another text editor, because it is plain text. To watch it as subtitles, open it with the video in a player that supports subtitle files.
Can you upload an SRT file to YouTube?
Yes. YouTube accepts an SRT file as the subtitles or closed captions for a video. Upload it from the video’s subtitles settings in YouTube Studio, and the times in the SRT file decide when each line appears.
How do you convert an SRT file to VTT?
To convert an SRT file to VTT, add a line reading WEBVTT and a blank line at the top, change the comma before the milliseconds in every time to a full stop, and save the file with a .vtt extension. Many subtitle tools and video editors also convert it for you.
How do I make an SRT file from a recording on a Mac?
Import the recording into NoteOwl’s Transcripts, which transcribes it on your Mac, then click the share button and choose Save Subtitles. NoteOwl exports any transcript as an SRT subtitle file, timing each subtitle from the transcript. Importing recordings is part of NoteOwl Pro.
Does NoteOwl put speaker names in SRT files?
Yes. When NoteOwl has labelled the speakers in a transcript, each subtitle in its SRT export starts with the speaker’s name, a colon and the words, such as “Daniel Okafor: Hello Maya”.
Does NoteOwl upload a recording to make subtitles?
No. NoteOwl transcribes recordings on your Mac with on-device AI models, writes the SRT file on your Mac and saves it only where you choose. NoteOwl Pro, which imports recordings, is $79 once for one Mac, with a 7-day free trial in the app.
Related
- Meeting notes glossary 16 terms in plain words, from action items to speaker diarization.
- What is speaker diarization? How a transcript learns who spoke when, before anyone is named.
- Dictation vs transcription The difference between the two, in plain words.
- Export a note, or all of your data Every export option in NoteOwl, step by step.
Keep exploring
Related
- Subtitle generatorTurn a recording into an SRT subtitle file with timecodes and speaker names, on your Mac
- Export your notesExport meetings, dictations and notes as Markdown or PDF, imported transcripts as text or SRT, or everything as plain files; nothing is locked in
- What is speaker diarizationSpeaker diarization explained: how software works out who spoke when, how it differs from speaker recognition, and how NoteOwl does it on your Mac
- SRT to VTT converterConvert SRT to VTT, VTT to SRT, or either to clean text with each speaker’s lines merged, in your browser; Zoom and Teams transcripts work
- Subtitle generatorA free AI subtitle generator: drop in a video or recording and download SRT or VTT subtitles timed to the speech, two short lines per cue; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Subtitle converterConvert subtitles between SRT, VTT, SBV and ASS, or to plain text, in your browser; SSA scripts and meeting transcripts work too
- Audio to text converterTranscribe audio to text free: drop in an MP3, M4A, WAV or other recording and get an AI transcript with times, as text, SRT, VTT or Word; nothing is stored
Turn a recording into subtitles on your Mac
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About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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