Fix subtitles that are out of sync.

Captions appear too early or too late? Enter an offset in seconds to move every cue, or only the cues after a point in the video, then download the corrected SRT or VTT.

What the time shifter does

Moves every cue

Add or subtract the same offset from every start and end time, down to the millisecond.

Partial shifts

Fix sync after an edit or ad break by shifting only cues that start after a chosen point.

Keeps the format

SRT stays SRT and VTT stays VTT. Times never go below zero.

How it works

Measure the offset. Play the video and note how far the captions are off. If the caption appears 2 seconds late, the offset is -2.
Paste or open the file and enter the offset. Optionally enter a start time to shift only later cues.
Shift and download. Check a few cues in your player and repeat with a small adjustment if needed.

Why subtitles go out of sync

Captions lose sync when they were made for a different cut of the video: an intro was added, a sponsor segment was removed or the video was trimmed. They can also be off when subtitles downloaded from one source are used with a video from another. In most of these cases, every caption is off by the same amount, and a single offset fixes it.

How to measure the offset

Find a clear line of dialogue near the start. Note the time when the person starts speaking and the time when the caption appears. The difference is the offset. If speech starts at 00:00:10 and the caption appears at 00:00:12.5, enter -2.5. Check another line near the middle and the end to confirm the offset is constant.

Fixing sync after an edit

If the start is correct but captions go out of sync after a certain point, for example after a removed segment, shift only the cues from that point. Enter the time of the edit as the start point and the length of the removed or added segment as the offset. Repeat for each edit.

When regeneration is better

If the drift grows over time, or the video was heavily edited, it is often faster to create new subtitles from the final video. Media2Text generates timed SRT and VTT from the audio, so the captions match the version you publish. See the subtitle generator.

Need the subtitles in the first place? Generate them from video or audio with Media2Text; the free trial includes up to 2 lifetime transcription tasks sharing 75 minutes, with no credit card.

Questions and limits

Should the offset be positive or negative?

Use a negative number when captions appear too late, to show them earlier. Use a positive number when captions appear too early.

Why are captions in sync at the start but drift later?

Gradual drift usually means the subtitles were made for a version of the video with a different frame rate or with cuts. A single offset cannot fix drift; shift sections separately with the start point option, or regenerate subtitles from the final video.

What happens to cues before the start point?

Cues that start before the start point are left unchanged.

Is my file uploaded?

No. The time shift is calculated in your browser.