Subtitle Timing Shift
Fix out-of-sync subtitles by shifting every cue forward or backward by a fixed number of seconds. This free subtitle timing shift tool works on SRT and VTT files directly in your browser — no upload, no install, no sign-up. Supports decimals, negative values, and produces a clean shifted copy with the original file left untouched.
Drop your SRT or VTT file
Accepts .srt and .vtt · runs in your browser
Subtitles drift further off as the video plays?
That is a frame-rate mismatch, not a simple shift. Try the Subtitle FPS Converter instead.
How to Shift Subtitle Timing in 3 Steps
- 1
Drop your SRT or VTT file
Start with the subtitle file you need to re-sync. The tool detects SRT and VTT automatically by extension and content, and runs the entire shift locally so nothing is uploaded.
- 2
Enter the shift in seconds
Type the number of seconds you need to move the subtitles. Positive values push cues later, negative values pull them earlier. Decimal values are supported, so you can shift by fractional amounts like 1.25 seconds.
- 3
Preview and download
The tool shows a before-and-after preview of the first few cues so you can sanity-check the shift. When it looks right, download the shifted SRT or VTT file. The filename includes the shift amount so you can tell copies apart.
How to Figure Out the Right Shift Value
The tool does the timestamp math. The harder question is figuring out how many seconds off the subtitles are in the first place. The fastest way is to pick a single line of dialogue near the start of the video, note the time at which the character actually speaks it, and compare that to the start time the subtitle file assigns to the same line.
- Subtitles appear too late:If dialogue is spoken at 00:12 but the caption appears at 00:14, the subtitles are 2 seconds behind the audio. Enter -2 to pull them forward.
- Subtitles appear too early:If the caption shows at 00:10 but dialogue does not start until 00:12, the subtitles are running 2 seconds ahead. Enter +2 to delay them.
- Fractional delays:Small sync errors are often fractions of a second. Values like 0.3 or -0.75 are fully supported. Enter values with up to millisecond precision.
- Check at the end too:If the shift that fixes the beginning does not also fix the end, the problem is probably not a pure shift. The first and last lines should both match after a correct shift — if only the first line syncs, the subtitles likely need FPS conversion instead.
When to Use Shift vs FPS Conversion
Subtitle sync issues have two common causes, and the right fix depends on which one you are dealing with. Using the wrong tool will make part of the file look right while another part still drifts.
- Constant offset:The subtitles are off by the same amount from start to finish — for example, consistently two seconds late through the whole video. A shift is the correct fix.
- Growing drift:The subtitles start close to correct but drift further off over time. The gap might be a few seconds at the end of a feature film for a small mismatch like 29.97 vs 30 fps, or close to four minutes for a larger one like 23.976 vs 25 fps. Either way it is a frame-rate mismatch, not a shift. Use the Subtitle FPS Converter instead.
- Both at once:If you have both a constant offset and frame-rate drift, run FPS conversion first to lock the pacing, then run a shift to align the absolute start time. Doing it in the other order still works but is harder to reason about because the shift value changes after rescaling.
Common Use Cases
- Different video cut than the subtitles were timed for:Subtitles from one release sometimes carry over to a different cut of the same video with an intro or ad break of a different length. A single shift re-aligns the whole file.
- Captions from a streaming source pulled into a local video player:Streaming platforms sometimes embed a short pre-roll that the local file does not contain. A negative shift usually corrects the gap.
- Re-encoded video with a slightly different start point:Encoding a video with a trimmed opening can push subtitles a few seconds out of sync. A small shift, often under one second, restores alignment.
- Manual sync to match dubbed audio:Dubbed audio is often timed slightly differently from the original. A shift offers quick manual control when your dub and subtitles are close but not perfectly aligned.