How to export an SRT file from Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro exports SRT natively — File > Export Captions writes a clean sidecar file in seconds — but only if your subtitles live on a caption track. If they were built as titles (the styled, designed kind), that menu exports nothing, because FCP doesn't treat titles as captions at all. This guide covers both realities: the native export with its two settings that actually matter, and the FCPXML to SRT converter route that extracts title-based subtitles the export menu can't see.

Route 1: the native caption export

If your subtitles were created as captions (imported from an SRT, generated by Transcribe to Captions, or authored in a caption role):

1. Open the project in the timeline and choose File > Export Captions (labeled "Export Closed Captions" in some versions).
2. Name the file and pick a folder.
3. In the Roles section, tick the language subroles you want — FCP writes one caption file per language you select.
4. In the Start Time section, pick carefully (see below).
5. For SRT specifically: an Include Formatting checkbox appears. Deselect it. Apple's own documentation recommends this — SRT has no real formatting standard, so bold/italic tags that look fine in FCP render as literal <i> clutter in many players. (Already have a formatted SRT? The SRT cleaner strips the tags.)
6. Click Save.

One structural note: captions export in the format they were authored in. SRT-role captions come out as .srt, iTT-role captions as .itt, CEA-608 captions as .scc (which can also be embedded into the exported media rather than written as a sidecar). The dialog isn't a format converter — it hands you what the timeline contains.

The Start Time setting — where an hour of offset comes from

The innocuous-looking Start Time choice is the number-one cause of "my exported SRT is an hour off":

• Relative to Timeline subtracts the project's start timecode — a project starting at 01:00:00:00 yields captions starting near 00:00:00. This is what you want for YouTube, web players, and any standalone use.
• Absolute keeps each caption's actual timeline timecode — captions in that same project start at 01:00:00. This is what broadcast and conform workflows expect, where the hour-start is part of the delivery spec.

Pick the wrong one and every cue is offset by exactly the project start time. If you've already got such a file, the SRT shifter fixes it in one move — shift by minus one hour rather than re-exporting.

Route 2: your subtitles are titles — the export menu can't help

Here's the trap that fills Final Cut forums: Export Captions is greyed out (or exports an empty file) because the timeline has no captions — the subtitles are Title clips. Titles and captions are different species in FCP: titles are graphics, captions are metadata, and there is no native "convert titles to captions" command. Editors hit this constantly with templates, translated projects, and older timelines built before FCP's caption system matured.

The way out doesn't require rebuilding anything:

1. In Final Cut Pro, select the project and choose File > Export XML (any recent FCPXML version works).
2. Drop the exported file on the FCPXML to SRT converter — if FCP produced a .fcpxmld bundle (a folder, standard in current versions), drag the whole bundle in; it's handled automatically.
3. Press Convert and download the .srt.

The converter reads the timeline's title clips — text, positions in time, durations — and writes a standards-compliant SRT with the original timing. From there you can re-import it as proper captions, hand it to a client, or convert it onward to VTT, iTT, or broadcast formats.

Which route when?

• Captions in a caption role → File > Export Captions, formatting off, Start Time chosen deliberately.
• Subtitles built as titles → Export XML → FCPXML to SRT converter.
• Mixed timeline (some captions, some titles) → run both; each route captures what the other misses.
• Need a different format than the captions were authored in → export what FCP gives you, then convert: SRT to VTT, SRT to iTT, or broadcast SCC/MCC/STL.

FAQ

How do I export an SRT file from Final Cut Pro? File > Export Captions with the project open in the timeline — choose the language role, deselect Include Formatting, and pick Relative to Timeline as the start time for web use. This works when your subtitles are captions; title-based subtitles need the XML route instead.

Why is Export Captions greyed out in Final Cut Pro? The timeline contains no caption clips — usually because the subtitles were built as titles, which FCP doesn't count as captions. Export the project as XML and run it through an FCPXML to SRT converter to extract the title text with its timing.

Can Final Cut Pro convert titles to captions? Not natively — there's no built-in command. The practical workflow: export the project XML, convert it to SRT with a converter, then import that SRT back into FCP as captions (File > Import > Captions).

Why does my exported SRT start an hour late? The export used Absolute start time on a project whose timeline starts at 01:00:00:00 — standard for broadcast-style projects. Re-export with "Relative to Timeline," or shift the existing file by minus one hour with an SRT shifter.

Should I check "Include Formatting" when exporting SRT? Usually no — Apple recommends deselecting it. SRT has no formatting standard, so FCP's bold/italic markup shows up as literal tags in many players. Export clean text, and let the destination handle styling.

My captions are iTT but I need SRT — what now? FCP exports captions in the format they were authored in. If you're holding the wrong sidecar format, the fastest path is usually re-importing to an SRT role, or exporting the project XML and converting that to SRT directly — the converter reads timeline captions and titles alike.