--- title: "Subtitle Overlap Fixer" description: "Fix overlapping cues in SRT or VTT subtitles: each early start moves to the previous end and short cues are extended. Text is never changed. Runs in your browser." url: https://findutils.com/media/subtitle-overlap-fixer/ category: media --- # Subtitle Overlap Fixer Fix overlapping cues in SRT or VTT subtitles: each early start moves to the previous end and short cues are extended. Text is never changed. Runs in your browser. **Use this tool:** [Subtitle Overlap Fixer](https://findutils.com/media/subtitle-overlap-fixer/) ## Programmatic access - REST id `subtitle-overlap-fix`: POST https://api.findutils.com/api/tools/subtitle-overlap-fix/execute (reference: https://findutils.com/api/subtitle-overlap-fix/) - MCP tool `subtitle_overlap_fix` on https://mcp.findutils.com (reference: https://findutils.com/mcp/subtitle-overlap-fix/) ## Why do subtitle cues overlap? Overlapping cues are almost always a side effect of another edit. Merging two subtitle files, shifting one part of a track, converting between frame rates or rounding timestamps can leave a cue starting a few hundred milliseconds before the previous one has ended. Players handle that badly: some show two lines stacked on top of each other, some flash one line for a frame, and some drop a line altogether. Fixing it by hand means reading every timing line. This tool finds each cue that starts before the previous one ends, moves its start to exactly that end, and makes sure the moved cue stays on screen for a minimum duration. ## Tips - If every cue is out by the same amount, the problem is an offset rather than an overlap. Use the Subtitle Shifter for that, then run this tool if the shift created collisions. - If the subtitles drift further out as the video plays, fix the frame rate first with the Subtitle FPS Converter, then fix any overlaps that remain. - Leave sorting on for merged files. Switch it off only when cues are out of order on purpose; with sorting off, an out-of-order cue is pushed after the one before it instead. - A warning appears when a chain of overlaps moved some cue by more than five seconds. That usually means two tracks were merged without being aligned — check the result against the video. - Raising the minimum duration keeps very short interjections readable, but every extension pushes the next overlap slightly further, so keep it modest. ## Frequently asked questions ### How does the Subtitle Overlap Fixer fix overlapping cues? It sorts cues by start time, then moves the start of every cue that begins before the previous one ends to exactly that end. If the moved cue would then last less than the minimum duration (300 ms by default), its end is extended to reach it. The result keeps its format, and SRT cues are renumbered from 1. ### Does it change my subtitle text? No. Only start and end times change. Cue text, line breaks and WebVTT cue settings are copied exactly as read. WebVTT NOTE, STYLE and REGION blocks are left out of the output. ### Can it delete cues? No. Every cue in the input is in the output. An overlapping cue is moved later, never dropped, even when the overlap is large. ### What is the minimum cue duration for? When a cue's start moves later, it can end up lasting only a few milliseconds, or none at all. The minimum duration extends such a cue so it stays on screen long enough to read. It applies only to cues that were moved, and you can set it between 100 and 1000 ms. ### Should I leave Sort cues by start time first on? In almost every case, yes, especially after merging files. With sorting off, cues are processed in the order they appear, so a cue that is out of order is pushed to after the one before it rather than moved back into place. ### What if the file has no overlaps? The summary shows zero and you can still download the file. An SRT file comes back renumbered from 1, which is useful after merges that left gaps or duplicates in the numbering. A WebVTT file keeps its cue identifiers. ### Why does it warn that a cue moved by several seconds? Each moved cue can push the next one, so a long run of overlapping cues can move a later cue a long way. When the largest move is over five seconds the page says so, because that usually means two tracks were combined without being aligned. The file is still produced; check it against the video. ### Is my subtitle file uploaded? No. The page reads the file and fixes it in your browser. The FindUtils API and MCP server offer the same fix as subtitle_overlap_fix; if you call them, the caption text is sent to FindUtils over TLS for processing and is not stored or logged. ### Which formats does it accept? SubRip (.srt) and WebVTT (.vtt). A .txt file is accepted when it contains SRT or WebVTT cues. The output uses the same format as the input: WebVTT in gives .vtt out, anything else gives .srt. ### Will it fix subtitles that are out of sync with the audio? Not on its own. Overlaps are cues colliding with each other; being out of sync with the audio is an offset or a frame-rate problem. Use the Subtitle Shifter for a constant offset or the Subtitle FPS Converter for drift, then run this tool if those leave overlaps behind. ## Related Tools - [Subtitle Merger](https://findutils.com/media/subtitle-merger/) - [Subtitle Shifter](https://findutils.com/media/subtitle-shifter/) - [Subtitle FPS Converter](https://findutils.com/media/subtitle-fps-converter/) - [Subtitle Cleaner](https://findutils.com/media/subtitle-cleaner/) - [SRT to VTT](https://findutils.com/convert/srt-to-vtt/)