SRT to VTT — Captions That Work in HTML5 Video
The HTML5 video element does not accept SRT. If you are adding captions to video on your own site, they have to be WebVTT, and the conversion between the two is quick, exact and handled locally here.
Usually lossless — the streams are copied, not re-encoded
What actually differs between the formats
Less than you would expect. Both are plain text files listing timed caption cues. VTT requires a WEBVTT header line, uses a dot rather than a comma before milliseconds in timestamps, and drops the sequence numbers SRT carries. The cues and their timings are otherwise the same, which is why conversion is exact.
- VTT begins with a WEBVTT line; SRT has no header
- Timestamps use 00:00:01.000 in VTT and 00:00:01,000 in SRT
- SRT numbers each cue; VTT does not require it
Adding the result to your video
Reference the converted file from a track element nested inside your video element, with kind set to captions and the srclang and label set appropriately. The browser then renders the captions natively, and search engines can read the track as text associated with your video.
How to convert SRT to VTT
- Add your SRT file. Open the converter and drop it in — nothing is uploaded.
- Select VTT. Choose it as the output format.
- Convert and download. The result saves straight to your device.
Frequently asked questions
Why will my SRT file not work in an HTML5 video player?
The video element only supports WebVTT. An SRT file referenced from a track element is silently ignored.
Does converting change my caption timings?
No. Only the timestamp punctuation and the header differ; the timings themselves are preserved exactly.
Is my transcript uploaded anywhere?
No. Conversion happens in your browser, which matters since caption files contain the full text of what was said.