A small text file with a timeline
SRT stores subtitle numbers, start/end timestamps and the words to show. Each block is separated by a blank line. It does not contain your video, and players decide how much styling they support.
1
00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:03,000
Every video starts with an idea.
2
00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,500
Give every word a little room.
Reading a timestamp
00:00:03,200 means 3.2 seconds. The start and end are separated by an arrow. Keep milliseconds, text line breaks and a blank line between cues when editing by hand.
Use SRT when the player supports a subtitle track
Use it as a sidecar file in a compatible player, video editor or publishing workflow. If captions must always be visible with your chosen appearance, burn them into an MP4 instead. SRT does not preserve a full animated caption design.
Check and convert
Open the file in the subtitle editor to correct text and times. If a web player asks for WebVTT, convert to VTT. Converting the file format does not translate its language or create missing words.