SBV to CSV Converter
Convert SBV subtitles to CSV instantly in your browser.
Drop your subtitle file here
or click to browse (multiple files supported)
Supported: SBV
About Converting SBV to CSV
Converting an SBV (.sbv) file, YouTube's caption export format, to CSV turns plain timestamped captions into a spreadsheet, ready to open in Excel or Google Sheets for review, bulk editing, or handing off to a translator who works in spreadsheets rather than a caption editor.
What is SubViewer (SBV)?
SubViewer (.sbv) is the plain caption format YouTube Studio exports and accepts. It stores simple timed dialogue with no styling or positioning.
What is CSV Subtitle Export?
CSV (.csv) is a spreadsheet-ready export: not a subtitle format any media player reads, but the format for reviewing, editing, or bulk-processing subtitle text in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet tool. Each cue becomes one row with its index, start/end timecodes, millisecond timing, and text in separate columns, so a translator, editor, or QA reviewer can work through an entire subtitle file as a table instead of a line-based text format.
About SBV to CSV Conversion
- One row per caption block: each SBV timestamp line and its following text becomes a CSV row with
index,start/end,startMs/endMs, andtextcolumns. - Timecodes are quoted: the normalized timecode format (
00:00:01,000) contains a comma, so the start/end columns are quoted per the CSV standard, otherwise spreadsheet software would misread the comma as a column break. - Both start and end times come straight from the source: SBV already stores a real end timestamp for every block, so the CSV's start/end columns are a direct copy, no next-row inference or default duration like line-timed lyric formats need.
All timing is preserved precisely during conversion.
What You Lose vs What You Gain
What You Lose in Conversion
What You Gain in Conversion
- Opens directly in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet tool, no import wizard needed
- One row per cue makes bulk find-and-replace, sorting, or filtering trivial in a spreadsheet
- A familiar table format for translators and reviewers who work in spreadsheets, not subtitle editors
When to Convert SBV to CSV
Spreadsheet Review
Review or proofread an entire subtitle file as rows and columns instead of scrolling through timecoded text.
Bulk Text Editing
Use a spreadsheet's find-and-replace, sort, and filter tools to bulk-edit cue text across a whole file.
Translation & QA Workflows
Hand off cue text to a translator or QA reviewer in a format they already work in, without teaching them a subtitle editor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I edit the CSV and convert it back into an SBV file?
Not with this tool: CSV export is one-directional. It's meant for reviewing or bulk-editing caption text in a spreadsheet, not as a round-trippable subtitle format. Keep your original .sbv file if you need it back.
Why are the timecode columns wrapped in quotes?
The normalized timecode format (00:00:01,000) uses a comma before the milliseconds. Since CSV uses commas as column separators, any field containing one must be quoted per the CSV standard (RFC 4180), otherwise spreadsheet software would split that single timecode into two columns.
Is the timing in the CSV accurate to the original SBV file?
Yes. SBV already carries a start and end timestamp for every caption, so the CSV's startMs/endMs columns are a direct millisecond conversion, nothing is estimated the way a start-only format's end times would be.
Tips for Converting SBV to CSV
CSV export is one-way: there is no CSV-to-SBV converter, since CSV here is a review/editing format for spreadsheets, not a subtitle format any player reads back.
Use the numeric startMs/endMs columns for spreadsheet formulas (duration = endMs − startMs) instead of parsing SBV's H:MM:SS.mmm timestamps.
To get an SBV file to convert, use YouTube Studio → Subtitles → Download → select the .sbv option for the caption track you want.
