How to shift subtitle timing in a batch
If all captions are early or late by the same amount, a fixed timing shift can help. Subtitle Batch Desk applies the same offset to every supported cue in every selected file.
Choose the direction
| What you observe | Shift to try | Effect on a cue at 00:00:05 |
|---|---|---|
| Captions appear 2 seconds early | +2 seconds | Moves to 00:00:07 |
| Captions appear 2 seconds late | −2 seconds | Moves to 00:00:03 |
| Only changing file format | 0 seconds | Stays at 00:00:05 |
These are arithmetic examples, not a diagnosis of your file. Measure the offset against a clear spoken phrase in your own video.
Work through a safe example
A caption from 00:00:01,000 to 00:00:03,000 becomes 00:00:03.000 to 00:00:05.000 when you choose WebVTT and a +2-second shift. Its duration stays two seconds because the offset is added to both the start and end. A 0.250-second shift moves both timestamps by 250 milliseconds.
- Keep your original subtitle files.
- Open the free batch preview and choose up to three basic UTF-8 SRT or VTT files.
- Select the output format and enter your signed offset under Timing shift (seconds).
- Convert, inspect the first-file preview, then download the results.
- Check a caption near the beginning, middle and end of the actual video.
When one offset is the wrong repair
A fixed shift moves every cue by the same number of milliseconds. It does not stretch timings, change playback speed, correct progressive drift, align different edits or adjust individual scenes. If synchronization gets steadily worse through a video, this tool does not provide the repair you need. Use an editor that supports the appropriate retiming operation.
Why a negative shift may fail
Our converter rejects any shift that puts a cue before zero. For example, moving a cue that starts at one second by −2 seconds would produce −1 second, so that file is reported as failed. The tool does not silently clamp or delete the cue. Choose a smaller shift or edit the source in a caption editor, then retry.
Keep the batch consistent
Only group files needing the same correction. The tool applies one format and one shift to the entire batch. Files with different offsets need separate runs. A failed file gets an error in the CSV report while valid files remain downloadable.
Limits: three files in the free preview, 100 in the offline desktop edition; 2 MB per file and 20 MB total. Basic UTF-8 cues only. No translation, transcription or extraction. Changing settings invalidates the previous downloads until you convert again, helping you avoid exporting stale results.
Try your next batch. Test three files at no cost, including ZIP and CSV export.
Open Subtitle Batch Desk