Why does my SRT import as one long caption?

Inspect the file before changing the video: a missing blank line can combine two SRT blocks, and overlapping cue times deserve review. Import behavior also depends on the player, editor and version; a passing structure check cannot rule out an application problem.

A 2022 Adobe Community discussion describes YouTube automatic captions merging during import in versions tested then. It is a historical example, not a claim that every current Premiere Pro import problem has this cause. Read the historical Adobe Community report.

YouTube’s current format guidance requires basic SRT in plain UTF-8 and does not recognize SRT styling markup. This checker does not test a YouTube upload or guarantee compatibility. Read YouTube’s supported caption formats.

Reproduce four SRT errors and check your correction

These five short files are original, fictional teaching examples with the same dialogue. Four intentionally contain a problem; the fifth is the reference. Download one, load it into the checker above, and compare the reported line with the explanation. No sign-in is needed.

1. A dot in an SRT timestamp

Expected: TIMESTAMP error, line 2, cue 1. This checker requires a comma before three millisecond digits: change 00:00:01.000 to 00:00:01,000. A dot is used in WebVTT timing; renaming a VTT file to .srt does not convert its format.

1
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03,000
Please check this file.

2
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,000
Then download a copy.
Download this SRT example

2. A missing blank line between cues

Expected: MISSING_SEPARATOR error, line 5. Without the empty line after “Please check this file.”, the second timing row is inside the first block. Insert a blank line before the second cue number, then check again.

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,000
Please check this file.
2
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,000
Then download a copy.
Download this SRT example

3. A repeated cue number

Expected: DUPLICATE_NUMBER error, line 5, cue 1. Both entries are numbered 1. In this two-cue example, change the second number to 2. This checker detects duplicates; it does not require every valid file to have consecutive numbers.

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,000
Please check this file.

1
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,000
Then download a copy.
Download this SRT example

4. Two cues active at the same time

Expected: OVERLAP warning, line 6, cue 2. Cue 1 ends at 4 seconds while cue 2 starts at 3 seconds. Review the video before shortening the first cue, moving the second, or retaining intentional simultaneous speech. A constant whole-file shift preserves this overlap; it does not remove it.

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,000
Please check this file.

2
00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,000
Then download a copy.
Download this SRT example

5. The structure-checked reference

Expected: 2 cues, 0 errors and 0 warnings. Compare the commas, cue numbers and blank line with the broken samples. This is not proof of correct translation, readable speed or synchronization with a video.

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,000
Please check this file.

2
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,000
Then download a copy.
Download this SRT example

The checker identifies issues; it does not repair them automatically. Edit the pasted text and check again. These samples have no video, so their timestamps demonstrate structure only. Confirm timing, readability and meaning with your actual video before use.