SSA to SRT Converter
Convert SSA subtitles to SRT instantly in your browser.
Drop your subtitle file here
or click to browse (multiple files supported)
Supported: SSA, ASS
Your converted subtitles will appear here.
Glad it worked. SubtitleKit is free and runs on tips. Still free, still runs on tips.
How to convert SSA to SRT
Upload your SSA file
Drag and drop your SSA file or click to browse.
Convert to SRT
Conversion runs instantly in your browser, with a live preview of the SRT result.
Preview the conversion
Check the converted result against your original before you download.
Download SRT
Download your SRT file: no signup, no watermark.
About Converting SSA to SRT
Converting SSA (.ssa) to SRT turns a SubStation Alpha v4.00 script into the plain SubRip format. SSA is the older dialect of ASS: it keeps its styles in a [V4 Styles] section, starts every Dialogue line with a Marked= field and numbers its alignments differently. SubtitleKit reads all three and writes the SRT markup the way FFmpeg's SubRip encoder does, keeping bold, italic, the main text color and each line's alignment.
What is SSA?
SSA (SubStation Alpha, script version v4.00) is the subtitle format of the original SubStation Alpha editor and the direct ancestor of ASS, which is version v4.00+. An SSA script is plain text in sections: [Script Info] for the script settings, a [V4 Styles] table of named styles with their fonts, colors and alignment, and [Events] with one Dialogue line per subtitle.
What is SRT Format?
SubRip (SRT) is the most widely supported subtitle format. It contains only basic text and timing information without styling or positioning data, making it universally compatible with video players and platforms.
About SSA to SRT Conversion
- [V4 Styles], not [V4+ Styles]: an SSA style row has TertiaryColour and AlphaLevel columns and no Underline, StrikeOut, ScaleX, ScaleY, Spacing or Angle. The converter reads the SSA columns as they are, so you do not need to upgrade the file to ASS first. A style's bold and italic become
<b>and<i>, and a primary color other than white becomes<font color>. - Marked= is skipped: every SSA
Dialogue:line starts withMarked=0orMarked=1, an editor bookmark where ASS has a Layer number. It does not change what is shown, so the converter ignores it and keeps the line's times and text. - Legacy alignment converted: SSA numbers alignment 1 to 3 along the bottom, adds 4 for the top row (5 to 7) and 8 for the middle row (9 to 11), while ASS uses the numeric keypad layout 1 to 9. Each SSA number, from the style or an inline tag, is mapped onto the keypad and written as an SRT alignment tag, so
{\a6}becomes{\an8}, top center. - Line breaks follow WrapStyle:
\Nis always a new line. A lowercase\nis a new line only when [Script Info] saysWrapStyle: 2; otherwise it becomes a space, as libass shows it. - What SRT cannot hold: font names and sizes, outline and shadow, the secondary, tertiary and back colors, margins,
\posand\movepositions and karaoke timing are dropped. Comment lines and the other non-Dialogue events never become subtitles.
Timecodes are converted to SRT timing precision with no loss of sync.
What You Lose vs What You Gain
What You Lose in Conversion
- Outline, shadow and border style settings
- Font names and font sizes
- Secondary, tertiary and back colors (the primary color is kept)
- Margins and exact \pos or \move positions
- Karaoke syllable timing tags
- The named style table itself (each line keeps its style's bold, italic, color and alignment)
What You Gain in Conversion
- Universal compatibility everywhere
- Mobile device support (iOS/Android)
- Smaller file size (no style data)
- Easy editing in any text editor
- Legacy player support (old devices)
- Accepted by streaming and social platforms
When to Convert SSA to SRT
YouTube Uploads
YouTube and most platforms accept SRT directly for captions.
Mobile Viewing
Mobile players support SRT broadly where richer formats fail.
Platform Distribution
SRT is the safest choice for maximum cross-platform compatibility.
Easy Editing
Plain SRT opens in any text editor or subtitle tool.
Wide Compatibility
Ensure subtitles play on every device, player, and site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do players open .ssa files like .ass files?
Because the common renderers read both with one parser. libass (used by mpv and VLC) and FFmpeg switch to the SSA rules when they see a [V4 Styles] header or ScriptType v4.00, not because of the file extension. SubtitleKit also reads .ssa and .ass with one parser.
Which styling survives in the SRT?
Bold and italic from a style, and bold, italic and underline from inline tags such as {\b1}, become SRT bold, italic and underline tags. Inline strikeout {\s1} becomes a strikeout tag. A primary color other than white, from the style or a {\c} tag, becomes a font color tag, and alignment becomes an {\anN} tag. Fonts, sizes, outline, shadow and exact positions are dropped.
Are the subtitles kept in time order?
Yes. SSA allows Dialogue lines in any order, so the converter sorts them by start time before writing the SRT. Lines that start at the same moment keep their order from the file.
Are karaoke timings kept?
No. SRT has no syllable timing, so karaoke tags such as {\k20} are removed and each line keeps its full start and end time.
Can I convert an old fansub script without sharing it?
Yes. The .ssa script is parsed and rewritten as SRT inside your browser tab, so the file and its translator notes never reach a server.
Tips for Converting SSA to SRT
Old SSA scripts are often saved in a Windows code page rather than UTF-8. The converter detects the encoding, for example Windows-1252 accented letters, and saves the SRT as UTF-8.
This page also takes .ass files, since SSA and ASS share the same [Events] layout and go through the same reader.
