Free tool
SRT to SBV converter
Drop an .srt file here to convert SRT to SBV: the caption numbers go, each timing line is rewritten in SubViewer’s comma-separated style and tags are stripped, giving the plain .sbv file YouTube and SBV-based tools read.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Nothing is uploaded
Nothing is uploaded: your browser reads the file.
Publishing videos you recorded yourself? NoteOwl transcribes them on your Mac, unlimited, and saves SRT files ready for YouTube or for this converter.
How it works
How do you convert SRT to SBV?
Open the .srt file and keep SBV selected. Each caption loses its number, its timing line becomes start and end times joined by a comma, and any <i> or <font> tags are taken out. Download the .sbv file.
- 1
Open the SRT file
Drop it here, choose it from your files, or paste its contents.
- 2
Check the SBV
The SubViewer version appears straight away, caption for caption, in the same order.
- 3
Download the .sbv
It keeps your SRT file’s name. Upload it to YouTube or open it in the tool that asked for SBV.
What does an SRT file look like as SBV?
The same four captions in both formats: a bike repair video’s SRT, and the SBV this page writes. The numbers and the italic tags are gone, the times are written SubViewer’s way, and the line breaks haven’t moved.
1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:03,200 Welcome back. Today we're fixing a squeaky bike brake. 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:07,100 First, look at the pads. If they're worn flat, replace them. 3 00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:10,900 <i>Tip: clean the rim with a dry cloth before you test the brake again.</i> 4 00:00:11,300 --> 00:00:14,000 Then squeeze the lever and listen.
0:00:00.800,0:00:03.200 Welcome back. Today we're fixing a squeaky bike brake. 0:00:03.600,0:00:07.100 First, look at the pads. If they're worn flat, replace them. 0:00:07.500,0:00:10.900 Tip: clean the rim with a dry cloth before you test the brake again. 0:00:11.300,0:00:14.000 Then squeeze the lever and listen.
Do you need SBV to upload captions to YouTube?
No: YouTube takes SRT too. Its help page recommends SubRip and SubViewer equally as the basic caption formats. Convert to SBV when a captioning tool, a script or a teammate’s workflow expects SubViewer files, or to keep a channel’s caption files in one format.
What changes when SRT becomes SBV?
Three things: the numbers above each caption go, the timing line is written as two times separated by a comma, and markup is removed. The words, the line breaks inside each caption and the times themselves stay the same.
- 3
- In the .sbvRemoved: SBV has no numbers
- 00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:10,900
- In the .sbv0:00:07.500,0:00:10.900
- <i>Tip: clean the rim…</i>
- In the .sbvTip: clean the rim… (no italics)
- Two lines of text
- In the .sbvThe same two lines
| In the .srt | In the .sbv |
|---|---|
| 3 | Removed: SBV has no numbers |
| 00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:10,900 | 0:00:07.500,0:00:10.900 |
| <i>Tip: clean the rim…</i> | Tip: clean the rim… (no italics) |
| Two lines of text | The same two lines |
Why are the italics removed?
Because YouTube ignores styling in SBV files: its help says no style info is recognised in them. The converter takes the tags out and keeps the words, so nothing stray can reach the screen. Keep the SRT if you need the italics elsewhere.
What should you check before converting?
That the timing is right, because the SBV carries it over exactly. If every caption is early or late, fix it first with the subtitle shifter; to change individual lines or catch overlaps, use the subtitle editor.
Where do you get SRT files for your own videos?
From the recordings themselves. NoteOwl imports a video or audio file on your Mac, transcribes it with on-device AI models and saves the transcript as SRT subtitles, timed from the speech. Nothing is uploaded. More about NoteOwl’s SRT export.
FAQ
Questions about converting SRT to SBV
What is the difference between SRT and SBV?
Mostly how the times are written. SRT numbers each caption and writes 00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:10,900; SBV has no numbers and writes 0:00:07.500,0:00:10.900. YouTube reads both as basic caption files.
Does the conversion change any times?
No. Every caption starts and ends at the same millisecond in the SBV file as in the SRT file. Only the notation changes.
Can I convert SBV back to SRT later?
Yes, with NoteOwl’s SBV to SRT converter. You get the same captions and times back, numbered again; only italics or other tags removed on the way to SBV don’t return.
What encoding does the SBV file use?
UTF-8, which YouTube requires for SBV files. Accented letters and other alphabets come through as they are, even when the SRT you started from used an older Windows encoding.
Is my SRT file uploaded?
No. The converter runs in your browser; the SRT is read and the SBV is written on your device, and nothing is sent anywhere.
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
- 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
- SRT to ASS converterConvert SRT to ASS with your choice of font, size and position, ready for Aegisub or burning into a video
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 generatorTurn a recording into an SRT subtitle file with timecodes and speaker names, on your Mac
- Online subtitle editorEdit an SRT or VTT file in your browser: change text and times, add and delete captions, catch overlaps and over-fast captions, download
Subtitles for your own videos, 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.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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