How to remove timestamps from subtitles
TL;DR — Remove subtitle timestamps, cue numbers, WebVTT headers, and caption metadata to create a clean plain text transcript.
Related tool
Subtitle Transcript Generator
Removing timestamps from subtitles turns a timed caption file into readable plain text. This is useful when you need a transcript, editing draft, translation handoff, or searchable notes instead of video playback captions.
Quick answer
Use the Subtitle Transcript Generator when you want to remove timestamps from SRT, VTT, ASS, or SSA subtitles. It keeps caption text and removes timing metadata locally in your browser.
If you already know the source format, use SRT to TXT for .srt files, VTT to TXT for .vtt files, ASS to TXT for .ass files, or SSA to TXT for older .ssa files.
What gets removed
Depending on the source format, timestamp removal usually strips:
- SRT cue numbers such as
1,2,3 - SRT timing lines such as
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,500 - WebVTT headers such as
WEBVTT - VTT cue settings and timestamp lines such as
00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.500 align:start - ASS dialogue timing fields and style metadata
- blank cue separators that only exist for playback structure
The output should keep the spoken words or readable caption text.
Before and after
SRT before
1
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,500
Welcome to the tutorial.
2
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,200
Today we will clean subtitle files.Plain text after
Welcome to the tutorial.
Today we will clean subtitle files.Step-by-step workflow
- Keep the original subtitle file unchanged.
- Open Subtitle Transcript Generator.
- Paste or choose the SRT, VTT, ASS, or SSA file.
- Generate the transcript.
- Review line breaks, repeated captions, speaker labels, and paragraph flow.
- Download or copy the plain text output.
If the output looks incomplete, validate the source file before trying again. Broken timestamps or missing cue separators can cause caption text to be skipped.
Which tool should you use?
Use the general transcript tool when the source format is mixed or uncertain:
- Subtitle Transcript Generator for SRT, VTT, ASS, or SSA
Use a format-specific converter when you know the file type:
- SRT to TXT for SubRip files
- VTT to TXT for WebVTT captions
- ASS to TXT for styled ASS subtitles
- SSA to TXT for older SubStation Alpha files
Common mistakes
Deleting timestamp lines manually
Manual deletion works for a few cues, but it is easy to leave cue numbers, VTT settings, duplicated lines, or broken paragraphs behind.
Using plain text as a subtitle file
Plain text has no timing information. It cannot replace the original subtitle file in a video player. Keep the source .srt, .vtt, or .ass file if you still need timed captions.
Renaming subtitle files to TXT
Renaming captions.srt to captions.txt does not remove timestamps. It only changes the file extension. Convert or generate a transcript instead.
Starting from a malformed file
If the subtitle file has invalid timestamps, missing blank lines, or garbled text, clean or validate it first. Use SRT Validator for SRT or WebVTT Validator for VTT.
Related guides
- How to create a transcript from subtitles
- How to convert SRT to TXT
- How to convert VTT to TXT
- How to remove timestamps from ASS subtitles
- How to remove timestamps from SSA subtitles
- How to convert ASS to TXT
- How to convert SSA to TXT
- Common subtitle format errors and fixes
Related tools
Use the Subtitle Transcript Generator
Generate a plain text transcript from SRT, VTT, ASS, or SSA subtitles locally with no upload. No signup, no upload, and everything runs locally in the browser.
Open Transcript generator