How to Fix Subtitle Delay in VLC

Press H while the video plays to make subtitles appear later, or G to make them appear earlier — on a Mac, J and H. Each press moves them by 50 ms, and VLC shows the total on the video. For a bigger offset, type it in Tools → Track Synchronization. VLC doesn’t save the delay into the subtitle file.

At a glance

Subtitles later / earlier (Windows, Linux)	H / G
Subtitles later / earlier (Mac)	J / H
Step per key press	50 ms
Exact value	Tools → Track Synchronization (Window → Track Synchronization on a Mac)
Saved in the subtitle file	No — only while the video is open

Fix the delay with the keyboard

Play the video and wait for a line of dialogue.
Subtitles come before the speech: press H (J on a Mac) to delay them. Subtitles come after the speech: press G (H on a Mac) to bring them earlier.
VLC shows the running total on the video, for example “Subtitle delay 1500 ms”. Keep pressing until the lines start with the speech, and note the number.

Set an exact delay in Track Synchronization

Choose Tools → Track Synchronization on Windows or Linux, or Window → Track Synchronization on a Mac.
On Windows and Linux, find Subtitle track synchronization under Subtitles/Video and type the offset in seconds: a positive value delays the subtitles and VLC marks it (Delayed), a negative one brings them earlier and is marked (Hastened).
Leave Subtitle speed and Subtitle duration factor in the same group unchanged — a plain delay needs only the first field.

Make the fix permanent

VLC applies the delay only while that video is open. The subtitle file on disk doesn’t change, so the lines are off again next time and on every other device. Take the total VLC showed, open the subtitle file in the free Shift Subtitles tool, enter the same amount — a delay of +1500 ms is 1.5 seconds Later — and export the corrected file. Keep its name the same as the video’s, and VLC loads it automatically.

Things that trip people up

The keys differ on a Mac: H brings subtitles earlier and J delays them, while G and F change the audio delay.
On Windows and Linux, J and K change the audio delay, not the subtitles — easy to hit next to H.
If the subtitles are right at the start and drift further off, no single delay fixes them: the file was timed for another frame rate. Retime it with two-point sync instead.
The delay belongs to the video that is playing; opening another file starts again from zero.

Questions

Which key delays subtitles in VLC?

H on Windows and Linux, J on a Mac. G (H on a Mac) brings them earlier. Each press is 50 ms.

How do I sync subtitles in VLC permanently?

VLC can’t write the delay into the subtitle file. Shift the .srt by the same amount in a subtitle editor and save it next to the video.

Why do my subtitles get more out of sync as the video plays?

They were timed for a version with a different frame rate, such as 25 fps against 23.976 fps. A delay moves every line equally, so retime the file with two-point sync.

Where is Track Synchronization in VLC?

Tools → Track Synchronization on Windows and Linux, Window → Track Synchronization on a Mac. On Windows and Linux it opens the Synchronization tab of the Adjustments and Effects window.

Can I edit subtitles in VLC?

VLC’s documentation covers playing subtitles and adjusting their delay, not editing them. To change words or timing for good, open the file in a subtitle editor, save it and load it in VLC again.