Shift subtitle timing: move every line earlier or later
When every subtitle shows up the same amount too early or too late, the fix is a shift: add or subtract that amount from every time in the file. Enter it in seconds, for example 2.5 or -1.2, upload the file, and download it in its own format with every line moved. Jobs with up to 3,000 lines are free in full; bigger jobs, such as a season, are $5, paid once.
- Positive numbers make subtitles later, negative numbers earlier
- Accepts 2.5, -1.2, 2.5s, 1500ms, 00:00:02,500 or -01:02.300
- Optional "only lines after" a time, for a file that slips partway through
- Lines pushed before zero start at 0
- File returned as name.synced plus its own extension, or as SRT
Finding the right amount
The tool does not listen to the audio, so you tell it the amount. Two ways work well. The quick one: play the video, open your player's subtitle delay setting and adjust it until a line lands on the speech. The number the player shows is the shift. In VLC and most players a positive delay means later, the same as here.
The exact one: pick a clear line, note the moment it is actually spoken in the video, and look up its start time in the subtitle file. If the line is spoken at 00:12:41.300 and the file says 00:12:38.800, the subtitles are 2.5 seconds early; enter 2.5. Check a second line further on. If it gives the same difference, a shift is all you need. If the difference has grown, the file drifts, and the stretch or frame rate option is the right fix.
Only part of the file is off
A common case: the subtitles are right for the first minutes, then late by a fixed amount after an intro, a recap or an ad break that is longer in your copy. Fill in "only lines after" with a time just before the point where it goes wrong. Lines that start before that time stay where they are, and every line after it moves. The time refers to the subtitle file, as it was before the shift.
What comes back
- The same format you uploaded: SRT, VTT, ASS, SSA, SBV, TTML or MicroDVD SUB; SAMI and SubViewer as SRT
- Text, numbering and formatting unchanged
- ASS styles, fonts and override tags untouched; only Start and End change
- On screen, the first line's old and new start time, so you can see the shift applied
How the tool works, what it costs and how your files are handled is on the Fix Subtitle Sync page; prices for every tool are on the pricing page.
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Questions and answers
Can ChatGPT shift subtitle times?
On a short file with one fixed shift it often can. A full movie means adding the same amount to every start and end, carrying seconds into minutes, and retyping it all, and long replies tend to stop partway or contain slips that are hard to find. This tool does the arithmetic in code.
Do I enter a positive or negative number?
Positive if the subtitles appear too early and need to come later, negative if they appear too late. 2.5 moves every line 2.5 seconds later.
Can I set the delay in my player instead?
Yes, but the player setting usually applies only while that file is open and resets next time. Shifting the file fixes it for every player and device.
What happens to lines at the very start?
If a negative shift would move a line before zero, it starts at 0 instead, so the file stays valid.
What does it cost?
One movie is usually under 3,000 lines, and jobs up to that size are free in full with the download. Bigger jobs, up to 50 files or a ZIP and 50,000 lines, are $5, paid once.
Does it work on ASS files?
Yes. Only the Start and End of each Dialogue line change; styles, signs and karaoke tags are kept as they were.