VTT (WebVTT) Subtitle File: Complete Guide — Convert, Fix & Burn

Everything you need to know about .vtt files: format specification, differences from SRT and ASS, fixing character encoding issues, converting between formats, and burning subtitles into video.

1. What is a VTT (WebVTT) File?

WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks) is a W3C standard for subtitles, captions, and timed text on the web. Files use the .vtt extension and were designed to work with the HTML5 <track> element for in-browser subtitle rendering.

Zoom exports its auto-transcription as VTT files, which is why "vtt file" and "zoom vtt" are common searches. YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, and most major video platforms also support WebVTT natively.

VTT file example:

WEBVTT

00:00:00.500 --> 00:00:02.000
Hello, welcome to the meeting.

00:00:02.500 --> 00:00:05.000
Today we'll discuss Q2 targets.

2. VTT vs SRT vs ASS: Key Differences

Format	Best for	Styling	Platform support
.vtt (WebVTT)	Web, HTML5, Zoom	Basic CSS styling	Browsers, YouTube, Zoom
.srt (SubRip)	Video editing, general use	None (plain text)	Almost all players
.ass/.ssa	Anime, advanced styling	Full font/color/position control	VLC, dedicated players

3. Fixing VTT Character Encoding Issues

If VTT file contents appear garbled when opened, it's almost always a character encoding mismatch. WebVTT requires UTF-8 by specification, but some tools export in Windows-1252, Shift-JIS, or other legacy encodings.

VS Code

Open file → Click encoding in bottom bar → "Reopen with encoding" → Select correct encoding → "Save with UTF-8"

Notepad++

Encoding → Character sets → "Convert to UTF-8 (without BOM)"

Python

open(file, encoding="cp1252") to read → open(out, encoding="utf-8") to write

4. Convert VTT to SRT & Burn into Video

Zeraku's Subtitle Converter lets you convert between VTT, SRT, ASS, and other formats free in your browser. The Video Caption Burner (coming soon) lets you permanently embed VTT subtitles into video files.

📝

Subtitle Converter

VTT ↔ SRT ↔ ASS conversion (available now)

Try Free →

🎬

Video Caption Burner

Burn subtitles permanently into video (coming soon)

Coming Soon

5. FAQ

Q: Where do I get the VTT file from Zoom?

Enable "Audio Transcript" in Zoom cloud recording settings. After the recording ends, a VTT transcript file will appear in the recording details on the Zoom web portal.

Q: My VTT file shows garbled characters (especially for Japanese/CJK text)

The file is likely saved in a non-UTF-8 encoding. Open it in VS Code, click the encoding indicator at the bottom, choose "Reopen with Encoding", then save as UTF-8.

Q: Should I use VTT or SRT?

VTT for web use (HTML5 video, YouTube). SRT for video editors (Premiere, DaVinci) and general players. When in doubt, SRT has the widest compatibility.

Q: Can I convert VTT to SRT for free?

Yes. Zeraku's Subtitle Converter handles VTT → SRT conversion entirely in your browser, for free, with no file size limits or signup required.

📝

Convert your VTT file now

Free, no signup, browser-based conversion between VTT, SRT, ASS, and more.

Open Subtitle Converter →