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File Size Limit: 10 MB

Conversions: 5 / Daily (up to 50 / Monthly)

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Convert XLS to SRT

Online Converter: Build SRT subtitles from a legacy XLS workbook (Excel 97-2003)

🚀Try New: AI-Powered SRT Translator!

Instantly translate your subtitles into one of 30+ languages with cutting-edge AI technology.
Perfect for translators, content creators, educators, and global audiences.

Try it now → AI: Translate SRT

Beta • 10 AI Conversion Credits per translation • Free registration required

Private by default · processed on our servers · files auto-deleted in 24h

Set options and click 'Run Conversion' button

Drag and Drop your file or click "Browse" to select it.

Max. size 10 MB

For batch conversion upload archive (zip, rar, 7z, xz).

Start Conversion

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Subtitles Converters Excel Converters Office Converters

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Conversion time varies by file size; thank you for your patience.
Limits apply to maximum conversions and file size. See available plans on the Pricing page.
Unregistered users: up to 5 conversions/day, up to 50 conversions/month, and 10 MB per file. Sign up to extend your limits.
Need help converting files? Contact us.

Conversion Plan: Non-Registered User

File Size Limit: 10 MB

Conversions: 5 / Daily (up to 50 / Monthly)

Daily Conversions0 / 5

Monthly Conversions0 / 50

Upgrade Plan

Convert XLS to SRT

Online Converter: Build SRT subtitles from a legacy XLS workbook (Excel 97-2003)

🚀Try New: AI-Powered SRT Translator!

Instantly translate your subtitles into one of 30+ languages with cutting-edge AI technology.
Perfect for translators, content creators, educators, and global audiences.

Try it now → AI: Translate SRT

Beta • 10 AI Conversion Credits per translation • Free registration required

Private by default · processed on our servers · files auto-deleted in 24h

Set options and click 'Run Conversion' button

Drag and Drop your file or click "Browse" to select it.

Max. size 10 MB

For batch conversion upload archive (zip, rar, 7z, xz).

Start Conversion

Rating

0.0(0 votes)

✨Create Your Own Custom Converter with AI

Need a custom converter? Build it yourself with AI in minutes!

Chat with AI to describe what you need
No coding required
Ready to use in minutes

Try AI Converter Studio

Chat-based converter creation • Ready in minutes • 100 free AI credits/month, buy more anytime

You may help others to find this website - Share your experience!

More Converters

Subtitles Converters Excel Converters Office Converters

Convert an Excel spreadsheet into an SRT subtitle file. The converter reads the subtitle data from your columns and writes a properly formatted subtitle file with sequential numbering, timecodes and text - ready for any video player or editing suite.

Both XLSX (Excel 2007 and later) and the legacy XLS format are accepted. This is the return leg of our SRT to Excel converter, so the usual workflow is: export subtitles to a spreadsheet, edit or translate them there, convert back.

Required Spreadsheet Columns

Row 1 must be a header row containing these four columns. Letter case and stray spaces do not matter, so Index and INDEX both work:

index - the subtitle number. It has to be present, but the values do not need to be tidy.
start - start timestamp as HH:MM:SS,mmm, for example 00:00:01,234.
end - end timestamp in the same format.
text - the subtitle text.

Extra columns are ignored, so a speaker name, a second language or a reviewer note can live right next to them. An optional type column is read when present; leave it out and every row becomes a normal subtitle cue.

Example Spreadsheet Layout

index	start	end	text
1	00:00:01,000	00:00:05,000	Welcome to our video tutorial.
2	00:00:05,500	00:00:10,000	Today we will look at file conversions.
3	00:00:11,000	00:00:15,500	Let's get started!

Prefer to start from something that already works? Download the sample file: sample.xlsx

Keep the Timestamps as Text

This is the single most common surprise. Spreadsheet software eagerly reinterprets anything that looks like a time, so a perfectly good 00:01:23,456 can turn into a clock value or a decimal number the moment you press Enter.

Select the start and end columns and set their cell format to Text before typing or pasting into them.
If the cells already show something like 12:03:00 AM, the original value is gone - reformat the column as text and paste the timecodes in again.
Files produced by our SRT to Excel converter already store the timestamps as text, so a round trip is safe as long as you do not retype them.

"Missing required columns" - How to Fix It

Spreadsheets exported from subtitle editors and transcription tools come with their own header wording, and those names are not recognised. Rename the headers and rerun:

Header in your export	Rename it to
Entry #, No., Number, Cue	index
Start Time, Timecode In, In	start
End Time, Timecode Out, Out	end
Subtitle Text, Dialogue, Caption	text

The error message lists the column names it found in your file, so you can see exactly which one to change. Only the header row needs editing.

How to Convert Excel to SRT

Check that row 1 has the index, start, end and text columns.
Upload the XLSX or XLS file with the file picker above.
Click "Run Conversion".
Download the SRT file and drop it next to your video.

Subtitles are numbered from 1 in the order the rows appear, so gaps or duplicates in your index column are corrected automatically. Sort the rows by start time and the output follows.

Resulting SRT File

plaintext

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Welcome to our video tutorial.

2
00:00:05,500 --> 00:00:10,000
Today we will look at file conversions.

3
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:15,500
Let's get started!

Workbooks With Several Sheets

Every worksheet is converted into its own subtitle file. One sheet gives you a single .srt file; several sheets give you a ZIP archive with one subtitle file per sheet. That makes a workbook a tidy container for one language per sheet, or one episode per sheet.

For a subtitle that takes two lines on screen you have two options: put a line break inside the text cell, or add a continuation row with empty start and end cells - its text is appended to the cue above as a new line rather than dropped. Fully empty rows are skipped.

What People Use It For

Post-translation import: translators deliver their work as a spreadsheet - convert it straight to SRT for the video.
Subtitles from a script: build the cues in a spreadsheet from a transcript, then generate the subtitle file in one go.
Round-trip editing: export with SRT to Excel, do the bulk edits and QC formulas there, convert back here.
One workbook, many languages: keep a sheet per language and get back a ZIP with a subtitle file for each.

Related Subtitle Converters

Other ways in and out of a subtitle file:

SRT to Excel - export existing subtitles into exactly this column layout
CSV to SRT - the same conversion starting from a CSV file
SRT to CSV - subtitles as a plain text table
Excel to ASS - build ASS subtitles from a spreadsheet instead
AI Subtitle Translator - translate a finished subtitle file into another language

Frequently Asked Questions

What columns does my spreadsheet need?

Four, in row 1: index, start, end and text. Letter case and surrounding spaces are ignored, and extra columns are ignored too.

Why do I get "Missing required columns"?

The header row is missing one of the four required names. Exports often use their own wording, such as Entry # or Subtitle Text. Rename the headers, save the file and convert again - the message lists the names it found.

What timestamp format should I use?

Use HH:MM:SS,mmm, for example 00:01:23,456. The hours part may be left out and a full stop is accepted instead of the comma. Format the cells as Text first so the spreadsheet does not rewrite them.

Does it support XLS files as well as XLSX?

Yes. Both the modern XLSX format and the legacy XLS format are accepted. There are also dedicated XLSX to SRT and XLS to SRT pages if you prefer to start from one of those.

What happens with multi-sheet workbooks?

Each sheet becomes its own subtitle file. With several sheets the result is a ZIP archive containing one SRT file per sheet.

How do I write a subtitle with two lines?

Either put a line break inside the text cell, or add a continuation row with empty start and end cells - its text is appended to the cue above as a new line.

Can I export subtitles to Excel first?

Yes. Our SRT to Excel converter writes exactly the layout this page reads, so the round trip needs no renaming.

Is it free, and is my file private?

Conversion is free to try, with larger files, batch conversion and API access covered by our pricing plans. Uploads are encrypted in transit, the source file is deleted right after the conversion, and the result is removed automatically within 24 hours.

Sign in to work securely with your files. Sign in or Sign up for full access.
Conversion time varies by file size; thank you for your patience.
Limits apply to maximum conversions and file size. See available plans on the Pricing page.
Unregistered users: up to 5 conversions/day, up to 50 conversions/month, and 10 MB per file. Sign up to extend your limits.
Need help converting files? Contact us.

index

start

end

text

00:00:01,000

00:00:05,000

Welcome to our video tutorial.

00:00:05,500

00:00:10,000

Today we will look at file conversions.

00:00:11,000

00:00:15,500

Let's get started!

Header in your export

Rename it to

Entry #, No., Number, Cue

index

Start Time, Timecode In, In

start

End Time, Timecode Out, Out

end

Subtitle Text, Dialogue, Caption

text