Why subtitles show broken characters
SRT files don’t declare their character encoding. Many older subtitles are saved in Windows-1252, but modern players and smart TVs expect UTF-8 – accented letters then appear as �. And if a player reads a UTF-8 file as Windows-1252, it shows é instead of é.
How to repair SRT and VTT files
- Drag the subtitle file into the box above.
- Mojibuster detects the encoding and repairs broken characters.
- Download the file and use it to replace the old one next to your video.
Timestamps, numbering and formatting stay unchanged.
Tips for players
- VLC: Under “Tools → Preferences → Subtitles/OSD” you can set the default encoding.
- Smart TVs and streaming apps almost always expect UTF-8 – so save subtitles as UTF-8 without a BOM.
- WebVTT files (
.vtt) must always be UTF-8 according to the standard.
Frequently asked questions
Do the timestamps stay the same?
Yes. Mojibuster only changes broken characters – timestamps, line numbers and blank lines stay exactly as they were.
Can I repair several subtitle files at once?
For now it’s one file after another. Each file is done in seconds.
My player still shows errors after the repair – what now?
Check whether a fixed encoding is set in the player and switch it to UTF-8 or “Auto”.