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Subtitle line wrapper

Re-wrap subtitle dialogue to a maximum characters-per-line limit, timing preserved.

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Output
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Subtitle line wrapper
Every subtitling guideline caps the line length, and for good reason: a line wider than the eye can sweep in one glance forces the viewer to track back and forth, and it may spill off a 4:3 safe area or a phone screen. The usual limit is 42 characters (Netflix, most Latin-script broadcasters); the BBC works to 37–39, and other guidelines vary. Paste your .srt or .vtt file, set the limit, and every over-long dialogue line is re-wrapped at word boundaries to fit.
The wrapping is word-aware: it breaks only at spaces, never mid-word, and a single word longer than the limit is left on its own overlong line rather than being cut. Balance two-line cues, on by default, is the touch that makes subtitles read professionally — when a cue's text fits in two lines, the break is placed near the middle so the two lines are roughly even, instead of a full first line and a two-word orphan below it. Existing line breaks inside a cue are treated as soft: the text is merged and re-wrapped as one, so a badly-split file comes out clean.
Only the dialogue is touched. Cue numbers, the HH:MM:SS,mmm timing lines and the blank separators between cues are passed through exactly, so the file stays valid SRT or VTT. The tally reports how many cues were re-wrapped and the longest line in the result — a quick confirmation that nothing still exceeds the limit.
Pair it with the CPS analyzer to check reading speed after wrapping. Everything runs locally in your browser — your subtitles never leave your device.
FAQ
What character limit should I use?
Netflix and most Latin-script broadcasters cap lines at 42 characters; the BBC uses 37–39; some guidelines go to 40. The default here is 42. Check the delivery spec of whoever you are subtitling for — it is usually stated explicitly.
Does it break words in the middle?
No. Wrapping happens only at spaces. A single word longer than the limit — a URL or a long compound — is placed on its own line and exceeds the limit rather than being hyphenated or cut, which would be worse to read.
What does "balance two-line cues" do?
When a cue fits in two lines, it places the break near the middle so the lines are roughly even, which reads better than a full top line with a short orphan below. It only applies to two-liners; longer cues wrap greedily.
Will it respect the timing and cue numbers?
Yes. Only dialogue text is re-wrapped. Timing lines, cue numbers and blank separators pass through unchanged, so the output is still a valid SRT or VTT file ready to load.
Is my subtitle file uploaded anywhere?
No. The wrapping runs entirely in your browser and the file never leaves your device.