Fix garbled subtitle encoding
Seeing é, “, or р instead of real letters? Your file was saved in one encoding and read as another. Re-decode it and export clean UTF-8, all in your browser.
Why encoding corruption happens
Every text file is just bytes, and an encoding is the rule that maps those bytes to letters. A subtitle saved in Windows-1252 or an ISO-8859 variant uses a single byte for characters like é, ñ, or a curly quote. When a player or website assumes the file is UTF-8, where those same characters need a different byte pattern, the mapping breaks and you see mojibake like é for é or “ for a smart quote.
You don't need to retype anything. The original bytes are fine; they were just read with the wrong rule. This tool re-decodes the raw bytes with the encoding you choose and saves the result as UTF-8, the universal standard that every modern player reads correctly. Pick an encoding, watch the preview, and download once the text looks right.
FAQ
Why are my subtitles full of symbols like é and “?
The file was saved in one encoding, often Windows-1252 or an ISO-8859 variant, but is being read as UTF-8. The bytes for accented letters and curly quotes get read as the wrong characters, so é turns into é and a smart quote turns into “. Re-decoding with the correct original encoding restores the real text.
How do I choose the right source encoding?
Start with Windows-1252, the most common culprit for Western European languages. For Central European languages try ISO-8859-2 or Windows-1250, and for Cyrillic try Windows-1251. Pick an option and check the live preview. When the accents and punctuation look right, you have found it.
What does the downloaded file use?
The exported file is always clean UTF-8, which every modern player and website understands. The tool only re-reads the original bytes with the encoding you choose. It never changes your timing, cue order, or wording.