Create & edit
Type subtitles against the video, set in and out times on the audio waveform, and check line length and reading speed as you go.
Set up the editor
Current release: Subtitle Edit 5.2.0
Download, install and use Subtitle Edit on Windows
Subtitle Edit is a free, open-source editor for creating, synchronizing and converting subtitles. This guide shows where to get it, how to set it up, and how to fix the problems people run into most often.
1200:01:02,140 → 00:01:04,300Where were you last night?
1300:01:04,820 → 00:01:07,560I missed the last train home.
1400:01:08,010 → 00:01:10,200You could have called.
1500:01:10,900 → 00:01:13,480My phone died. I'm sorry.
I missed the last train home.
What you can do with Subtitle Edit
Each card links to a step-by-step guide on this site.
Synchronize
Shift every line at once, sync on two points with Visual sync, or fix drift with Point sync and frame-rate conversion.
Synchronization guideConvert formats
Save to SRT, WebVTT, ASS/SSA, TTML, EBU STL and hundreds of other formats, one file at a time or in batches.
Conversion guideOCR image subtitles
Turn Blu-ray SUP, DVD VobSub and DVB subtitles into editable text with Tesseract, nOCR, Binary OCR and other engines.
OCR guideWhich download do I need?
Subtitle Edit 5 has three Windows builds, all on the project's official GitHub Releases page.
| Your situation | Pick this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Most Windows 10 / 11 PCs | x64 installer SubtitleEdit-Windows-x64-Setup.exe | Adds Start menu shortcuts and stores settings in your user profile. |
| USB stick, no admin rights, or trying it out | x64 portable ZIP SubtitleEdit-Windows-x64.zip | Unzip and run. Settings stay next to the program. |
| Windows on ARM (e.g. Snapdragon laptops) | ARM64 ZIP SubtitleEdit-Windows-ARM64.zip | Native ARM64 build, distributed as a ZIP. |
Getting started in four steps
- Check your Windows versionPress Win+R, type
winverand press Enter. You need Windows 10 version 22H2 (build 19045) or newer, or Windows 11. Compatibility details - Download from the official sourceGet the installer or ZIP from the project's GitHub Releases page. Avoid third-party download sites. Download page
- Install and add the helpersRun the installer, then let Subtitle Edit download FFmpeg (needed for the waveform) and libmpv (needed for video playback) when it asks. Installation guide
- Open a video and a subtitleOpen your subtitle file, then open the video to see the waveform. From there you can sync, convert or OCR.
Something not working?
Black video, no waveform, garbled characters or an installer error: the troubleshooting page lists each symptom with its fix.
Independent guide. This site is not run by the Subtitle Edit project and does not host any files. Every download link goes to the official GitHub repository.