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SRT to TXT Converter — Free and Online

Strip timecodes from a subtitle file and get clean readable text.

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Convert an SRT File to Plain Text

An SRT file is a transcript wrapped in scaffolding. Every line of speech is surrounded by a cue number and a pair of timecodes, which the video player needs and you do not. Stripping them by hand is tedious for anything longer than a couple of minutes.

This SRT to plain text converter removes the scaffolding and gives you the words. It doubles as a subtitles to text converter for any cue-based format. It runs entirely in your browser — the file is never uploaded, which matters when the subtitles belong to an unreleased video, a client project, or a recorded meeting.

What an SRT File Contains

Each cue follows the same four-part shape:

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,000
This is the first subtitle line.

2
00:00:04,500 --> 00:00:07,200
And this is the second.

A cue number, the start and end timecodes separated by an arrow, one or two lines of text, then a blank line. Because it is plain text, an SRT opens in any editor — which is exactly why it outlasted every proprietary subtitle format.

The Three Options That Matter

Merge wrapped lines

Subtitles wrap to fit the screen, not to fit sentences. A single sentence is routinely split across two lines of one cue, or across two cues entirely. Convert naively and you get text broken at arbitrary points. Merging rejoins those fragments, which is what makes the output readable prose rather than a list of fragments.

Remove repeated overlap

This is the one that matters most for YouTube auto-captions. Automatic captioning deliberately repeats the tail of each cue in the next one so text appears to scroll smoothly. Converted straight, every phrase appears two or three times and the transcript is unusable.

The de-duplicate option detects the overlap and trims it — dropping cues wholly contained in the previous one, and trimming partial repeats. It is the difference between a transcript you can read and one you would throw away.

Keep timecodes

Off by default, because most people want clean prose. Turn it on for meeting notes and interview transcripts where you need to jump back to a moment — each line is prefixed with its start time, in full hh:mm:ss,mmm or shortened mm:ss.

Getting a Transcript From a Video

  1. YouTube subtitles to text — for your own video, YouTube Studio → Subtitles → the language → Download the .srt, then convert it here.
  2. Zoom, Teams, Meet — recordings with captions enabled produce a .vtt transcript, which this tool also reads.
  3. A local video file — subtitles are often a matching .srt alongside it, or embedded and extractable with a tool like MKVToolNix.

For videos you do not own, check the licence before republishing the text. Converting subtitles for personal reference is one thing; publishing someone else's transcript is another.

SRT and VTT

WebVTT is the web-native descendant of SRT and this tool reads both. The differences are small: VTT opens with a WEBVTT header, uses full stops rather than commas in timecodes, and can carry styling and positioning settings. Those styling blocks are ignored here rather than converted — the goal is the words.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert an SRT file to text?

Drop the .srt file above, or paste its contents. The tool removes the cue numbers and timecodes and gives you the spoken text. You can keep timestamps if you want a readable transcript with reference points, and you can merge lines that were wrapped mid-sentence for subtitle display.

What is an SRT file?

SubRip Subtitle — a plain text format holding subtitle cues. Each cue is a number, a start and end timecode separated by an arrow, one or two lines of text, and a blank line. Because it is plain text, you can open one in any text editor, which is why it became the most widely supported subtitle format.

How do I get a transcript from YouTube subtitles?

Download the subtitle file from the video — via YouTube Studio for your own videos, or a third-party downloader for others where the licence permits — then convert it here. Auto-generated captions repeat cues as words scroll, so use the de-duplicate option or you will get every phrase two or three times.

Why does my converted text repeat itself?

Because auto-generated captions overlap deliberately: each cue repeats the tail of the previous one so text scrolls smoothly on screen. Converted naively that produces heavy duplication. The de-duplicate option detects and removes the overlap, which is the single biggest difference between a usable transcript and an unreadable one.

Can I keep the timestamps in the text?

Yes — switch on 'Keep timecodes' and each line is prefixed with its start time. Useful for meeting notes and interview transcripts where you need to jump back to a moment. You can choose the full hh:mm:ss,mmm form or a shortened mm:ss.

Does this work with VTT files?

Mostly. WebVTT is structurally similar — the main differences are a WEBVTT header line and full stops instead of commas in timecodes. The parser handles both, though VTT styling blocks and cue positioning settings are ignored rather than converted.

Is my subtitle file uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is read in your browser and processed on your device. Nothing is transmitted, which matters if the subtitles are from an unreleased video, a client project, or a recorded meeting.

How do I convert SRT to text for DaVinci Resolve?

Resolve's Text+ titles take plain text without timecodes, so convert with timecodes off and merged lines on. Copy the result and paste it into the Text+ inspector. Keeping the timecodes would import them as visible characters in the title.

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