Fix subtitle line length
Lines that run across the whole screen are hard to read. Set the limits and the tool breaks long lines at spaces into balanced lines; a subtitle that still doesn't fit is split into several shorter ones, with its time shared out by the amount of text. Subtitles that already fit are not touched.
Runs entirely in your browser. Your subtitles are never uploaded.
How to shorten subtitle lines
- Paste the SRT or VTT subtitles or choose the file.
- Set the maximum characters per line and lines per subtitle — 42 and 2 are common choices.
- Click “Fix line length” and download the file.
Questions
- Why 42 characters and 2 lines?
- It is a common limit in subtitling guidelines for languages written with letters: a line that long can be read at a glance, and two lines cover little of the picture. Choose fewer characters for small screens.
- What happens to subtitles that don't fit?
- They are split into consecutive subtitles. Each part gets a share of the original time in proportion to its length, so the reading speed stays the same.
- Does it work for Chinese, Japanese or Thai?
- Lines are broken only at spaces, so text without spaces is not broken — a word longer than the limit also stays whole. For those languages, shorten the lines by hand in the subtitle editor.
- Are my files uploaded anywhere?
- Runs entirely in your browser. Your subtitles are never uploaded.
Related tools
- Remove subtitle tags and SDHClean SRT or VTT subtitles: remove HTML and ASS tags, descriptions for the hard of hearing such as [music] or (laughs), song lyrics and speaker names. Free, in your browser.
- Split and merge subtitlesSplit a subtitle file at a time you choose, or merge several files into one with the times shifted correctly. SRT and VTT, free, in your browser.
- Dual-language subtitlesMerge subtitles in two languages into one SRT or VTT file, one language above the other — handy for learning a language. Free, in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
- Online subtitle editorEdit subtitle text and timing in your browser, check them on your own video and save as SRT or VTT. Opens SRT, VTT, SBV and ASS. Free, nothing is uploaded.