SRT to TXT: Turn Subtitles Into a Text Transcript
Convert SRT to TXT and get a transcript you can actually read: numbers and timecodes removed, lines joined into sentences, and a new paragraph wherever the speaker pauses. Keep a timestamp per paragraph if you need to find quotes later, or save Markdown for notes and blog drafts. VTT, ASS and other subtitle files work too, and nothing is uploaded.
- Runs on your device
- Browser APIs
- Works offline
Updated
Drop your subtitle files here
How to convert SRT to TXT
Step 1: Drop your SRT, VTT or other subtitle files on the box above.
Step 2: Choose Paragraphs for a readable transcript or One line per subtitle for a plain list.
Step 3: Switch on Keep a timestamp per paragraph if you want
[12:04]markers, and pick TXT or Markdown.Step 4: Press Convert, then copy the text or download the file.
Good to know
Settings explained
- Layout
- Paragraphs joins lines into sentences and starts a new paragraph after long pauses.
Formats
Batch-friendly: add many files and they are processed one after another — if one fails, the rest still finish.
How it runs
- Built-in browser features
- Uses standard browser features only — nothing extra to download.
Paragraphs, lines or timestamps: what the text looks like
Here is the same four-line SRT in each layout. The third and fourth lines are three seconds apart, which is long enough to start a new paragraph.
| Setting | Resulting text |
|---|---|
| Source SRT (4 lines) | “Welcome back to the channel.” · “Today we’re fixing” · “a leaking tap.” · (3 s pause) · “First, turn off the water.” |
| Paragraphs (default) | Welcome back to the channel. Today we’re fixing a leaking tap. ¶ First, turn off the water. |
| Paragraphs + timestamps | [0:01] Welcome back to the channel. Today we’re fixing a leaking tap. ¶ [0:10] First, turn off the water. |
| One line per subtitle | Four lines, one per subtitle, with no times |
Is an SRT file a text file?
Yes. An SRT file is plain text, so Notepad or TextEdit will open it, but every subtitle sits between a line number and a timecode line such as 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,050. Reading it that way is tiring, and copying quotes out of it means deleting the numbers by hand.
Converting subtitles to text removes that scaffolding and stitches the broken subtitle lines back into sentences.
How the transcript is built
- Paragraph breaks come after a pause of two seconds or more, when a line starts with a dialogue dash or
>>(a new speaker), or once a paragraph passes about 600 characters and a sentence ends. - Repeated lines are removed. Auto-generated YouTube captions repeat the previous line in each new caption; those repeats are dropped so every sentence appears once.
- Formatting is stripped. Italic tags, colour tags and ASS styling codes never reach the text.
- Hyphenated words are rejoined when a word was split across two subtitle lines.
Create a transcript from an SRT file for notes, quotes or a blog
Paragraphs with timestamps are the most useful format for research and interviews: you can read the text like an article and still jump to [23:41] in the video to check a quote. Markdown keeps that structure for Obsidian, Notion or a static site. For a plain list to paste into a spreadsheet, use one line per subtitle.
Tips & troubleshooting
SDH file full of [MUSIC] and speaker names? Run it through the tool to remove SDH from subtitles first.
No subtitle file at all? Video to text and audio to text transcribe the speech on your device.
Want to turn a finished transcript into subtitles again? The text has no timing, so add each line at its moment in the subtitle editor online.
Subtitles to Text (Transcript) FAQ
How do I remove timestamps from an SRT file?
Drop the file here and press Convert with timestamps off. Line numbers and every --> timecode line are removed, and the remaining text is joined into paragraphs. Choose one line per subtitle if you want the lines kept separate instead.
How do I convert VTT to text?
The same way: drop the .vtt file and press Convert. The WEBVTT header, cue settings and inline word timings are dropped, and YouTube-style repeated caption lines are removed, so you get clean VTT to TXT output.
Can I keep the time of each paragraph?
Yes. Switch on Keep a timestamp per paragraph and each paragraph starts with its time, such as [4:05] or [1:02:05] past the hour. In Markdown the timestamp is bold.
Can I convert text back to SRT?
Not here, because a text file has no timing. Use the subtitle editor online to add each line at the right moment while the video plays, or let auto captions time the speech for you.
Is your subtitle file uploaded anywhere?
No. Your subtitle file is processed by your own browser on your own device. There is no server that receives files, so nothing is uploaded, stored or shared. You can even switch to airplane mode once the page has loaded.