Why convert ASS to SRT at all?

Because ASS is a fansub and typesetting format, and a lot of hardware never learned it. Smart TVs, set-top boxes, car head units and older phones show nothing when handed an .ass file. SRT is the lowest common denominator that essentially everything reads.

What exactly gets dropped?

Fonts, colours, outlines, shadows, on-screen positioning, karaoke timing effects and everything set in the ASS style block. SRT has no syntax for any of it. What survives is the dialogue text, the timings, and italic, bold and underline, which SRT does support.

Why did a converted file show tags like {\an8} on screen?

Those are ASS override tags that leaked into the text instead of being interpreted, which happens with converters that copy the dialogue line verbatim. This one strips leftover override blocks, so the cue reads as plain text instead of showing markup to the viewer.

Will signs and typesetting from an anime release survive?

No, and that is the honest limitation. Translated signs, on-screen notes and captions placed over the picture rely on ASS positioning that SRT cannot express. They become ordinary lines at the bottom of the frame, where they can collide with the dialogue around them.

Do italics survive the conversion?

Yes. Italic, bold and underline map onto the i, b and u tags SRT understands, so emphasis and the convention of italicising off-screen speech carry over. It is the one part of ASS styling that has a real equivalent on the other side.

Why is the SRT so much smaller than the ASS file?

Because most of an ASS file is header: the script info block, the style definitions and the per-line formatting fields. Once those are gone only text and timings remain. Shrinking five or ten times is normal and does not mean anything was lost from the dialogue.

Can I convert SSA as well as ASS?

Yes. SSA is the older revision of the same format and is read the same way, so an old .ssa track converts to SRT exactly like a modern .ass one. There is no separate step and nothing to configure beforehand.

Convert ASS to SRT Online

Strip the styling from an ASS or SSA track and get a plain SRT that any TV or player will actually show.

or drag & drop them here · images, video, audio, documents and subtitles · up to 2 GB

How to convert ASS to SRT

Click "Choose Files" and select your ASS file, or drag & drop it onto the page.
Make sure SRT is selected as the target format.
Click "Convert" and wait a few seconds.
Download your new SRT file.

Why Converters.live?

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landing.why3.subtitle

Frequently asked questions

Why convert ASS to SRT at all?: Because ASS is a fansub and typesetting format, and a lot of hardware never learned it. Smart TVs, set-top boxes, car head units and older phones show nothing when handed an .ass file. SRT is the lowest common denominator that essentially everything reads.
What exactly gets dropped?: Fonts, colours, outlines, shadows, on-screen positioning, karaoke timing effects and everything set in the ASS style block. SRT has no syntax for any of it. What survives is the dialogue text, the timings, and italic, bold and underline, which SRT does support.
Why did a converted file show tags like {\an8} on screen?: Those are ASS override tags that leaked into the text instead of being interpreted, which happens with converters that copy the dialogue line verbatim. This one strips leftover override blocks, so the cue reads as plain text instead of showing markup to the viewer.
Will signs and typesetting from an anime release survive?: No, and that is the honest limitation. Translated signs, on-screen notes and captions placed over the picture rely on ASS positioning that SRT cannot express. They become ordinary lines at the bottom of the frame, where they can collide with the dialogue around them.
Do italics survive the conversion?: Yes. Italic, bold and underline map onto the i, b and u tags SRT understands, so emphasis and the convention of italicising off-screen speech carry over. It is the one part of ASS styling that has a real equivalent on the other side.
Why is the SRT so much smaller than the ASS file?: Because most of an ASS file is header: the script info block, the style definitions and the per-line formatting fields. Once those are gone only text and timings remain. Shrinking five or ten times is normal and does not mean anything was lost from the dialogue.
Can I convert SSA as well as ASS?: Yes. SSA is the older revision of the same format and is read the same way, so an old .ssa track converts to SRT exactly like a modern .ass one. There is no separate step and nothing to configure beforehand.

Related conversions

VTT→SRT SRT→VTT SRT→ASS