How to open a .srt file
SubRip subtitles · Subtitles
An .srt file is a subtitle track in plain text. Any editor opens it to read, and putting it next to your video with the same name makes VLC load it automatically.
What a .srt file actually is
SubRip is the simplest subtitle format there is: a number, a timestamp range, the lines of text, a blank line, repeat. Nothing else.
That simplicity is why it is supported by essentially every player ever made, and why it remains the default despite being decades old.
Why it will not open
Nothing is associated with .srt, and on its own a subtitle file has nothing to show. It only makes sense paired with the video it belongs to.
Renaming it to an extension you can open will not help: changing the extension does not convert the file, it only changes what Windows tries to open it with.
Step by step
Windows
- 01To read it: right-click, choose "Open with", then Notepad.
- 02To watch with subtitles: put the .srt in the same folder as the video with the same base name, so movie.mp4 pairs with movie.srt. VLC loads it automatically.
- 03If it does not appear, open the video in VLC and use Subtitle, then Add Subtitle File.
- 04If the subtitles show as gibberish with strange characters, the file uses a different text encoding. In VLC, set Subtitles preferences to UTF-8.
macOS
- 01TextEdit reads it with Format set to Plain Text.
- 02VLC and IINA both load .srt next to a video.
What usually goes wrong
Subtitles out of sync
If the timing drifts, the subtitles were made for a different cut or frame rate. VLC shifts them live with the G and H keys, which is faster than editing the file.
Programs that open .srt
Our pick, in order. Every one links to the publisher's official download URL and the SHA-256 hash of the installer. Once you have downloaded it, you can check the file against our index before you run it.
If you end up downloading one of these from somewhere other than the publisher, what you can and cannot verify about that is worth two minutes.
- VLC media playerVLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files, and various streaming protocols.v3.0.23 · 9 hashed installers96
- MPC-HCMPC-HC is an extremely light-weight, open source media player for Windows. It supports all common video and audio file formats available for playback.v2.8.0 · 2 hashed installers100
- Sublime Text 4Sublime is a sophisticated cross-platform text editor for code, markup and prose.v4.0.0.420000 · 2 hashed installers92
Common questions
- How do I add an .srt file to a video?
- Put it in the same folder as the video with the same base name and open the video in VLC, which picks it up automatically. Otherwise use Subtitle, then Add Subtitle File.
- Why are my subtitles showing strange characters?
- The file uses a text encoding your player is misreading. Set the subtitle encoding to UTF-8 in your player preferences, which fixes accented characters in most cases.