Free tool
VTT to SRT converter
Drop a WebVTT file here to convert VTT to SRT: the captions are numbered, every time is rewritten in SRT’s style and web-only extras are removed, ready to download as an .srt file.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Nothing is uploaded
Nothing is uploaded: your browser reads the file.
Need subtitles for a recording that has none? NoteOwl transcribes audio and video on your Mac, unlimited, and saves each transcript as an SRT file with each speaker labelled.
How it works
How do you convert VTT to SRT?
Add the .vtt file to the converter and leave SRT selected. It removes the WEBVTT header, numbers each caption, swaps the full stop in every time for a comma and drops what SRT can’t hold. Then download the .srt.
- 1
Add the VTT file
Drag it onto the box, choose it, or paste its text. A file from a web player, a course site or a meeting app all work.
- 2
Keep SRT selected
The SRT version appears at once. Untick Keep speaker names if the file has voice tags you don’t want shown.
- 3
Download the .srt
It takes your VTT file’s name with an .srt ending, so the two stay side by side.
What does a VTT file look like as SRT?
Below, a WebVTT file with a header, a note, a cue setting and a voice tag, and the SRT this page makes of it. The words and times survive; the parts only a web player understands are gone.
WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en NOTE Edited after the live session 00:01.000 --> 00:04.500 line:10% <v Ana Lima>Open the project settings first.</v> 00:05.200 --> 00:09.000 <v Ana Lima>Then pick <i>Export</i> & choose a folder.</v> 00:00:09.400 --> 00:00:12.800 align:start <c.yellow>Saved files appear in the list on the left.</c>
1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,500 Ana Lima: Open the project settings first. 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:09,000 Ana Lima: Then pick <i>Export</i> & choose a folder. 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,800 Saved files appear in the list on the left.
What changes between a VTT file and an SRT file?
The first line, the numbers and the punctuation of each time. SRT has no header, numbers every caption and writes 00:00:05,200; VTT starts with WEBVTT, may skip the numbers and the hours, and writes 00:05.200.
- WEBVTT and header lines (Kind, Language)
- In the SRT fileRemoved: SRT has no header
- Cue IDs, or none
- In the SRT fileNumbers 1, 2, 3… in order
- 00:05.200 (no hours)
- In the SRT file00:00:05,200
- line:10%, position, align, size
- In the SRT fileRemoved: SRT has no positions
- NOTE, STYLE and REGION blocks
- In the SRT fileRemoved
- <v Ana Lima> voice tags
- In the SRT file“Ana Lima:” before the words, or removed
- <i>, <b>, <u>
- In the SRT fileKept
- <c.yellow> classes, &
- In the SRT fileTags removed; & becomes &
| In the VTT file | In the SRT file |
|---|---|
| WEBVTT and header lines (Kind, Language) | Removed: SRT has no header |
| Cue IDs, or none | Numbers 1, 2, 3… in order |
| 00:05.200 (no hours) | 00:00:05,200 |
| line:10%, position, align, size | Removed: SRT has no positions |
| NOTE, STYLE and REGION blocks | Removed |
| <v Ana Lima> voice tags | “Ana Lima:” before the words, or removed |
| <i>, <b>, <u> | Kept |
| <c.yellow> classes, & | Tags removed; & becomes & |
Why would you need SRT instead of VTT?
Because SRT is the older and plainer of the two, more editing apps, players and upload forms take it. WebVTT was made for video on web pages: the HTML <track> element reads it, but plenty of desktop software doesn’t.
Going the other way, from a video editor’s SRT to a web player, use the SRT to VTT converter. If the captions are early or late once they’re in place, the subtitle shifter moves them all at once.
Is anything lost in the conversion?
Only what SRT can’t store. Positions and line placement go, so every caption shows at the player’s default spot, usually the bottom centre. Colour classes and STYLE blocks go too. Times stay exact to the millisecond, and line breaks stay where they were.
Characters WebVTT has to spell out come back as themselves: & becomes &, and < becomes <. Inline karaoke times, which some players use to highlight each word as it is spoken, are removed, since SRT shows a caption all at once.
Why does a converted auto-caption file repeat every line?
Because the VTT did. Automatic captions saved as VTT often scroll: each line appears once at the bottom, then again a moment later at the top. SRT keeps them exactly as timed. For reading, the VTT to TXT converter removes the repeats.
How do you get an SRT file when a video has no captions at all?
Transcribe it. NoteOwl imports an audio or video file on your Mac, transcribes it with on-device AI models and saves the transcript as an SRT file, every caption timed from the recording and each speaker labelled. Nothing is uploaded. See how NoteOwl makes SRT files.
FAQ
Questions about converting VTT to SRT
Is my VTT file uploaded anywhere?
No. NoteOwl’s VTT to SRT converter runs in your browser: the file is read and converted on your device and the .srt download is made there too. Nothing is sent to NoteOwl or anyone else.
Do the timings change in the conversion?
No. Each start and end time keeps its milliseconds; only the way it is written changes, from 00:05.200 to 00:00:05,200. The captions show at exactly the same moments.
Can I convert a Zoom or Teams VTT transcript to SRT?
Yes. Meeting apps write VTT transcripts with each speaker’s name in a voice tag or at the start of the line. The SRT keeps the names in front of the words, or leaves them out if you untick Keep speaker names.
What happens to caption positions and colours?
They are removed, because SRT has nowhere to store them. Italics, bold and underline stay, since SRT players show those tags. Every caption then appears where the player puts subtitles by default.
My VTT file has no cue numbers. Does that matter?
No. Numbers are optional in WebVTT but required in SRT, so the converter numbers the captions 1, 2, 3 in order. Long cue IDs, such as the ones Microsoft Teams writes, are replaced by those numbers.
Does the converter work on a phone?
Yes. Open this page on an iPhone or Android phone, choose the .vtt file from your files or paste its text, and download the .srt. Everything runs in the phone’s browser.
Can NoteOwl make SRT files from my recordings?
Yes. NoteOwl transcribes audio and video files on your Mac, labels the speakers and saves the transcript as an SRT subtitle file, with nothing uploaded.
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 TXT converterTurn an SRT subtitle file into plain text: numbers and timestamps removed, broken lines joined into paragraphs
- VTT to TXT converterTurn a VTT file, such as a Teams or Zoom meeting transcript, into clean text with each speaker’s turns as paragraphs
- TXT to SRT converterTurn plain text into a timed SRT file: captions cut to fit the screen and timed at a speaking pace or across your video’s length
Transcripts and subtitles, 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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