Free tool
SBV to VTT converter
Drop an .sbv file here to convert SBV to VTT: the captions get the WEBVTT header, numbers and full-stop times that web video players read, so captions written for YouTube work on your own site too.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Nothing is uploaded
Nothing is uploaded: your browser reads the file.
Recording your own course or webinar videos? NoteOwl transcribes each one on your Mac, unlimited, and saves an SRT file that this page turns into VTT.
How it works
How do you convert SBV to VTT?
Open the .sbv file here and choose VTT, which is already selected. The converter writes WEBVTT at the top, numbers the captions and pads every time to the full hours form. Download the .vtt and add it to your video player.
- 1
Open the SBV file
Drop it in, choose it, or paste the captions straight from a text editor.
- 2
Keep VTT selected
The WebVTT file appears on the right. Untick Keep speaker names to drop “>> NAME:” labels.
- 3
Add it to your player
Download the .vtt and point your player’s captions setting, or a <track> tag, at it.
What does an SBV caption file look like as WebVTT?
Here is a short SBV file from a gardening video and the WebVTT this page makes of it: a header line, a number above each caption, and times with two-digit hours. The words and line breaks are unchanged.
0:00:00.400,0:00:03.100 Hi everyone, and welcome to the channel. 0:00:03.100,0:00:06.900 In this video I'll show you how to repot a plant without hurting its roots. 0:00:06.900,0:00:09.500 [soft music] 0:00:09.500,0:00:13.200 Water it the day before, & the soil slides out in one piece.
WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.100 Hi everyone, and welcome to the channel. 2 00:00:03.100 --> 00:00:06.900 In this video I'll show you how to repot a plant without hurting its roots. 3 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:09.500 [soft music] 4 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:13.200 Water it the day before, & the soil slides out in one piece.
Why do web video players need VTT?
Because WebVTT is the caption format browsers understand. The HTML <track> element, which adds captions to a <video> on a web page, loads WebVTT files. An SBV file made for YouTube has to become VTT before a site’s own player can show it.
- A YouTube upload
- Format to useSBV or SRT (both basic formats YouTube lists), or VTT
- A <video> on your own web page
- Format to useVTT, through a <track> tag
- A course or video hosting platform
- Format to useUsually VTT or SRT: check its caption upload form
- A video editor or desktop player
- Format to useSRT, from the SBV to SRT converter
| Destination | Format to use |
|---|---|
| A YouTube upload | SBV or SRT (both basic formats YouTube lists), or VTT |
| A <video> on your own web page | VTT, through a <track> tag |
| A course or video hosting platform | Usually VTT or SRT: check its caption upload form |
| A video editor or desktop player | SRT, from the SBV to SRT converter |
What changes from SBV to VTT?
The file gains a first line reading WEBVTT and a number above each caption, the hours in each time get two digits, and the comma between start and end becomes an arrow. Characters with a meaning in WebVTT, & and <, are written as & and <.
Can you style VTT captions?
Yes, more than SBV allows. WebVTT captions can be placed with cue settings and coloured with CSS through the ::cue selector, in the page’s stylesheet or a STYLE block in the file. The converter writes plain captions, so add styling afterwards if you want it.
If the captions run early or late against your edit of the video, move them all with the subtitle shifter. It keeps a VTT file’s settings and notes exactly as they are.
How do you caption videos that have no SBV file?
Make the captions from the recording. NoteOwl transcribes audio and video files on your Mac with on-device AI models and saves SRT subtitles; the SRT to VTT converter then makes the VTT for your player. Nothing is uploaded.
FAQ
Questions about converting SBV to VTT
Will an SBV file work in an HTML5 video player?
Not as it is. Browsers load captions through the HTML track element, which reads WebVTT files. Convert the SBV to VTT first, then point the track tag at the .vtt file.
Does the VTT keep my SBV timings?
Yes, to the millisecond. 0:00:03.100 becomes 00:00:03.100: the same moment, written with two-digit hours and an arrow between start and end.
Does a VTT file need the WEBVTT line?
Yes. A WebVTT file must start with WEBVTT, and players reject a file without it. The converter adds it, followed by a blank line, before the first caption.
What happens to sound descriptions like [soft music]?
They stay as caption text, because they are part of the captions viewers read. If you only want the spoken words, choose Text instead to get a transcript, or delete those captions in the subtitle editor.
Is the file uploaded when I convert it?
No. Your browser reads the SBV file and writes the VTT itself. Nothing leaves your device.
Keep exploring
More subtitle converters
- Subtitle converterConvert subtitles between SRT, VTT, SBV and ASS, or to plain text, in your browser; SSA scripts and meeting transcripts work too
- 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
- SRT to SBV converterConvert an SRT file to SBV, the SubViewer caption format YouTube lists, in your browser
- VTT to SBV converterConvert a WebVTT file to SBV in your browser: VTT’s styling and positions dropped, times and text kept
- ASS to SRT converterConvert ASS or SSA subtitles to SRT in your browser: italics and bold kept, positions, colours and drawings dropped, signs optional
Related
- YouTube transcript to textPaste the transcript YouTube shows under a video and get clean paragraphs, with or without timestamps, as text, Word or SRT; nothing is fetched from YouTube
- Subtitle shifterMove every caption in an SRT, VTT, SBV or ASS file earlier or later, or re-sync it from two points; only the times change
Captions for every recording, made on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
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.
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