How does the SSA to SRT converter work?

Upload your SSA script and start the conversion. Dialogue, line breaks and timings are kept as SRT, and SubStation Alpha styling and override codes are removed.

Can I use the converter without signing up?

Yes. You can upload, convert and download without an account. Free use has a daily limit, and a $2.99 or $6.99 pass removes it, with no monthly subscription.

Are there file-size limits?

Each SSA file can be up to 20GB. The subtitle converter refuses files over 50 MB, far larger than any real subtitle file.

Does this work in a mobile browser?

Yes. dragdropdo runs in Safari, Chrome and other mobile browsers on iPhone, iPad and Android, so you can convert SSA files on a phone or tablet without installing an app.

Can I batch convert SSA files?

Yes. Add several SSA files to one job, then download each SRT file on its own or all of them together as a ZIP.

What does the SRT keep from my SSA script?

The dialogue text, \N and \n line breaks and timings. Italic styles and italic override tags become , and bold override tags become .

What is lost when converting SSA to SRT?

Positions, fonts, colors and karaoke timing, which SRT cannot show. Comments, effects and positioning codes are dropped, and strikethrough is not kept.

Does it read older SSA scripts?

Yes. It handles the old 'Marked=' event format, '*Default' style names and events listed out of order.

Which text encodings are supported?

UTF-8, UTF-16 and old code pages, such as Windows-1252 for Spanish or Windows-1250 for Czech, are read. The SRT is written as UTF-8, with a byte-order mark when the text is not plain ASCII, and with Windows line endings.

Why did my SSA file fail to convert?

An SSA with styles but no Dialogue events fails with 'No subtitles were found in this file'. One whose events are all Comment lines fails because it contains no subtitle text. An image renamed .ssa is refused with a message naming the image type, such as JPEG.

Is there a size limit for SSA files?

Uploads can be up to 20GB, but subtitle files over 50 MB are refused, and an event with more than 1,000 lines is treated as damaged. Real SSA scripts are far below both limits.

How does the SSA to SRT converter work?

Upload your SSA script and start the conversion. Dialogue, line breaks and timings are kept as SRT, and SubStation Alpha styling and override codes are removed.

Can I use the converter without signing up?

Yes. You can upload, convert and download without an account. Free use has a daily limit, and a $2.99 or $6.99 pass removes it, with no monthly subscription.

Are there file-size limits?

Each SSA file can be up to 20GB. The subtitle converter refuses files over 50 MB, far larger than any real subtitle file.

Does this work in a mobile browser?

Yes. dragdropdo runs in Safari, Chrome and other mobile browsers on iPhone, iPad and Android, so you can convert SSA files on a phone or tablet without installing an app.

Can I batch convert SSA files?

Yes. Add several SSA files to one job, then download each SRT file on its own or all of them together as a ZIP.

What does the SRT keep from my SSA script?

The dialogue text, \N and \n line breaks and timings. Italic styles and italic override tags become , and bold override tags become .

What is lost when converting SSA to SRT?

Positions, fonts, colors and karaoke timing, which SRT cannot show. Comments, effects and positioning codes are dropped, and strikethrough is not kept.

Does it read older SSA scripts?

Yes. It handles the old 'Marked=' event format, '*Default' style names and events listed out of order.

Which text encodings are supported?

UTF-8, UTF-16 and old code pages, such as Windows-1252 for Spanish or Windows-1250 for Czech, are read. The SRT is written as UTF-8, with a byte-order mark when the text is not plain ASCII, and with Windows line endings.

Why did my SSA file fail to convert?

An SSA with styles but no Dialogue events fails with 'No subtitles were found in this file'. One whose events are all Comment lines fails because it contains no subtitle text. An image renamed .ssa is refused with a message naming the image type, such as JPEG.

Is there a size limit for SSA files?

Uploads can be up to 20GB, but subtitle files over 50 MB are refused, and an event with more than 1,000 lines is treated as damaged. Real SSA scripts are far below both limits.

Free SSA to SRT Converter Online

Convert SSA to SRT online and use older SubStation Alpha subtitles in any player. Upload files up to 20GB and download the converted result in a few clicks.

Drag & Drop your SSA file here

SSA files, up to 20GB

Files stay private.

Automatically deleted after 24 hours.

Link 20GB upload limit.

4.8/5

Trusted for 1,827,796+ conversions

HOW IT WORKS

Convert SSA to SRT in three steps

Three steps, no account, nothing to install.

Upload your SSA file

Drag and drop a .ssa script or select it from your device.

Convert to SRT

Keep SRT as the output format and start. Each Dialogue event becomes a numbered SRT subtitle, and italic and bold become SRT tags.

Download the SRT

Download a UTF-8 .srt file that plays in VLC, on TVs and in video editors.

SSA

SSA (SubStation Alpha) is the subtitle script format of the SubStation Alpha editor, used by early fansub groups. An .ssa file holds timed Dialogue events plus named styles for font, color and position. ASS (Advanced SubStation Alpha) is its later, extended version.

SRT

SRT (SubRip) is the most widely supported subtitle format: a plain-text list of numbered subtitles, each with a start and end time. VLC, smart TVs, video editors and YouTube read it, and it supports only simple tags such as bold, italic and underline.

FILE FORMATS

SSA and SRT compared

SOURCE

SSA

SubStation Alpha is the older format that ASS grew out of, created for the SubStation Alpha editor in the late 1990s. SSA scripts have styles, fonts, colors and positioning, with fewer options than ASS. Older fansubs and some DVD rips still ship .ssa files.

TARGET

SRT

SubRip Text began with the SubRip ripping tool in the early 2000s. Each subtitle is a number, a start and end time with a comma before the milliseconds, and one or more lines of text. Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, VLC, smart TVs, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn all accept SRT.

Feature	SSA	SRT
Developed by	Kotus (SubStation Alpha)	SubRip (community)
File extension	.ssa	.srt
Styling	Fonts, colors, basic effects	Basic bold, italic, underline
Positioning	Yes	No (some players read {\an8})
Best for	Older styled subtitles	Editors, TVs, uploads
Works in	VLC, mpv	Almost every player and site

USE CASES

Use Cases for SSA to SRT

Practical workflows where SSA to SRT conversion is useful.

Play old fansubs on a TV

TV players that don't render SSA scripts read SRT. Put the converted file next to the video for plain dialogue subtitles.

Archive early fansub releases

Collections from the late 1990s and 2000s are full of .ssa scripts. Converting them gives SRTs that current players and editors read.

Read Spanish or Czech scripts correctly

Scripts saved in Windows-1252 Spanish or Windows-1250 Czech are read correctly and written as UTF-8, so accents display properly.

Import subtitles into a video editor

Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and CapCut import SRT captions. Convert the script to bring the dialogue into your timeline.

Upload subtitles to a video platform

Vimeo, Facebook and other hosting sites take SRT caption files. Convert the SSA script before you upload.

Translate dialogue without the tags

Translators get only the dialogue text, without style and positioning codes in the way.

Use scripts from very old editors

Scripts with the old 'Marked=' event format, '*Default' style names or events out of order are handled and come out as standard SRT.

Keep italic songs and narration

Lines in an italic style or with italic tags stay italic in the SRT, so songs and narration keep their look.

Proofread a script in a text editor

Without comments and effect codes, the SRT reads like a plain script, so typos and timing gaps are easy to spot.

Quote dialogue on a fan wiki

Wiki editors documenting an older series get readable lines with timings instead of a script full of codes.

SUPPORTED FILES

Which SSA Files Can I Convert?

SubStation Alpha scripts are supported.

SubStation Alpha .ssa

Older styled subtitle scripts.

Fansubs and DVD rips

SSA files shipped with older releases.

Scripts with styles

Italic and bold from overrides become SRT tags.

Comment lines

Removed from the output.

A batch

Upload several scripts and download the SRT files as a ZIP.

TROUBLESHOOTING

SRT Not Working?

Most issues come from features one format has and the other doesn't.

Positions and colors are gone

SRT has no positioning or colors, so SSA styling is removed.

Two lines appear at once

Overlapping SSA lines become overlapping SRT subtitles, which most players show stacked.

It says there's no subtitle text

The script holds only comments or drawings.

A huge file was refused

Subtitle files over 50 MB are refused. Real subtitle files are far smaller.

Accented letters look wrong

The encoding is detected automatically. A very short file whose only accented letters fit several code pages can be misread; re-save it as UTF-8 and convert again.

It says this isn't a text subtitle

Video files, picture-based subtitles and other binary files renamed as subtitles are refused with a message saying what they are.

COMPARISON

dragdropdo vs. Subtitle Edit and Aegisub

Subtitle Edit and Aegisub are full subtitle editors. dragdropdo is built for converting SSA to SRT quickly, from any device.

What matters	dragdropdo	Subtitle Edit and Aegisub
Nothing to install	✓Yes. Runs in any modern browser.	~Yes, a desktop download.
Works on phones and tablets	✓Yes. Desktop, Android, iPhone and iPad.	~No. Windows, Mac and Linux only.
Batch conversion	✓Yes. Add many files and download one ZIP.	~Subtitle Edit has a batch converter; Aegisub doesn't.
Share finished files	✓Yes. Send a unique link from the result page.	~You upload and share the files yourself.
Pricing	✓Free with daily limits. $2.99 or $6.99 passes for unlimited use, no monthly plan.	~Free.
Editing timing and text	✓Not in the converter. Edit the SRT afterwards if needed.	~Yes. Full timing and text editing.

Other tools use different pricing, limits and workflows. This comparison describes dragdropdo's own features without assuming every other tool works the same way.

1.8M+

Files converted

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Average rating

from our users

~4s

Avg. conversion

per file

Files kept

Auto-delete in 24h

WHY DRAGDROPDO

Built to be quick, safe, and free

Convert SSA to SRT in your browser, with nothing to install and nothing kept after 24 hours.

Private by default

Files are encrypted in transit and deleted from our servers automatically after 24 hours.

No install required

Convert in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone or iPad. No app and no sign-up wall.

Big files and batches

Upload files up to 20GB each, add several at once, and download the results one by one or as a ZIP.

Share & download

Save finished files to your device or pass them on with a share link from the result page.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about dragdropdo's SSA to SRT converter.