Subtitle Line Length Fixer
Reflow long lines in an SRT subtitle file to fit a max characters-per-line and lines-per-cue limit (Netflix uses 42×2, BBC 37×2). Pure text processing — no upload, no engine to load.
Quick answer: Reflow long lines in an SRT subtitle file to fit a max characters-per-line and lines-per-cue limit (Netflix uses 42×2, BBC 37×2). Pure text processing — no upload, no engine to load.
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Frequently asked questions
- Why do subtitles need a maximum line length?
- Long lines are hard to read at video pace. Netflix, BBC and broadcast standards cap each line at 32-42 characters and each cue at 2 lines so viewers can read without missing the picture. Files exported from auto-captioning tools (Whisper, YouTube auto-CC) frequently break those rules — this tool fixes them.
- What max characters should I pick?
- 42 if you're targeting Netflix or modern streaming. 37 for BBC and most European broadcasters. 32 for tighter broadcast TV. 50 if you only care about readability and have wide screens. Going lower than 32 starts producing too many lines.
- What max lines should I pick?
- 2 is the universal standard for film and streaming subtitles. 1 is used for live captioning sometimes; 3+ is rare and only used for songs or speaker IDs.
- Does it change my timing?
- No — every cue's start and end timestamps are preserved exactly. Only the text is re-wrapped.
- Is my SRT file uploaded?
- No. Parsing and reflow happen entirely in JavaScript in your browser. The file never leaves your device.
- What if a cue can't fit even after reflow?
- We flag it in the result panel ('still too long') but never drop content. Usually the cause is one extremely long word like a URL or compound noun — open the SRT in a text editor and decide whether to abbreviate it manually.
- Will it strip styling tags like <i> or <b>?
- No — styling tags are preserved as-is. They count toward the character limit, though, which is correct (the visual width is what they take on-screen).
- Can I import VTT instead of SRT?
- Not directly — convert your VTT to SRT first using the Subtitle Converter, run this fixer, then convert back if needed.
- Will the new file be larger or smaller?
- About the same. The text is the same; only the line breaks move. Re-numbering cues in our serialiser may add a byte or two.
- Is this free?
- Yes — completely free, no signup, no watermark.