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SRT vs VTT vs TXT: which transcript format to choose

The difference between SRT, VTT and TXT transcript files, and which apps accept each one.

Updated

When you choose Transcript, you can save it as TXT, SRT or VTT. All three hold the same words. The difference is whether they carry timings, and which apps understand them.

The short answer

  • Want to read, search or copy the text? Choose TXT.
  • Want subtitles in a video player or editor? Choose SRT.
  • Want subtitles on a website or online course? Choose VTT.

TXT

Plain text, no timings. It's what you'd want for notes, quotes, a blog post, or pasting into a translator or an AI tool. Opens in anything, including Notes, Word and Google Docs.

SRT

SubRip subtitles. Each line has a number, a start and end time, and the words:

1
00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:04,000
Thanks for watching, let's get started.

SRT is the most widely supported subtitle format. VLC, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut, CapCut and YouTube's own uploader all accept it.

VTT

WebVTT, the web's subtitle format. It looks almost the same as SRT, with a WEBVTT header and a dot instead of a comma in the timings:

WEBVTT

00:00:01.200 --> 00:00:04.000
Thanks for watching, let's get started.

Use VTT for HTML5 video players, many course platforms and some social tools. Many desktop apps accept it too.

Where the words come from

If the video has captions, we use them. If it doesn't, our speech-to-text (Whisper) writes the transcript from the audio. That works well on clear speech, but it isn't perfect. It can trip on names, numbers, accents and background music, so read it through before relying on it.

Editing a subtitle file

All three are plain text. Open an SRT or VTT in any text editor to fix a misheard word, leaving the numbers and timing lines alone.

Try it

Paste a link on the YouTube transcript generator, or read how to download YouTube subtitles as SRT and how to get a YouTube transcript.

Quick answers

Can I convert SRT to VTT later?

Yes, it's a small change. Many free online tools and subtitle editors do it, or you can download the transcript again in the other format.

Which one does YouTube accept for uploads?

YouTube Studio accepts both SRT and VTT, along with several other caption formats.

Does TXT include who's speaking?

No. Transcripts list what's said, without speaker names.