Subtitle cleaner

What each option removes

Sound descriptions removes text in square brackets or parentheses, such as [door slams] or (laughing), and lyrics or music marked with ♪. Speaker names removes labels written in capital letters at the start of a line, such as JOHN: or - MARY:, and keeps the dialogue dash.

Repeated captions joins captions that show the same text one after another, a pattern often found in automatic captions. Overlapping timings shortens a caption that is still on screen when the next one starts, so two captions never show at the same time. Italic, bold and underline removes all text formatting.

Check the preview before you download

Cleaning works on patterns, not meaning. Removing everything in parentheses will also remove a spoken aside such as (I think), and a line written entirely in capitals followed by a colon will be treated as a speaker name. The summary tells you how many captions changed or were removed, so read through the preview and turn off any option that removes too much.

When cleaning would leave a caption empty, that caption is removed and the numbering is updated. If an option would remove every caption, the page keeps the file unchanged and tells you.

When to keep SDH subtitles

Sound descriptions exist for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and for anyone watching without sound. If you are preparing subtitles to share with others, consider keeping an SDH version alongside the clean one rather than replacing it.