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How to fix SRT cue numbering and order on a Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
Select the SRT file in Finder, open FileDial, and run Edit › Fix numbering. It sorts the cues by time and numbers them 1, 2, 3 and so on, saving a new copy. Use it after merging or hand-editing a subtitle file, when players reject or mis-order the cues.
Why numbering goes wrong
An SRT file is a list of blocks, each with a counter starting at 1, a timing line and text. When you paste two files together, delete a cue, or insert lines by hand, the counters stop running 1, 2, 3 and cues can end up out of time order. Some players tolerate that, and some skip lines or refuse the file.
Fix it with FileDial
- Select the .srt file in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key to open the dial.
- Choose Edit › Fix numbering and release.
- Open the new copy and check that the numbers run in order.
A merged-file workflow
To merge two subtitle files, append one to the other in a text editor, for example after a two-part film, then run Edit › Fix numbering to put the cues in time order. If the second half needs to start later, shift it first with Edit › Shift timing…, then merge. Splitting a long file is the reverse: copy the cues you need into a new file and renumber it with the same tool.
What it does not fix
It sorts and numbers. It does not repair wrong timings, overlapping cues or broken text. If the timing is off by a constant amount, use Edit › Shift timing… If characters look wrong, check the file encoding, since SRT has no official encoding and older files are often not UTF-8. A text editor can re-save the file as UTF-8.
The anatomy of an SRT block
Each block has four parts: a counter, a timing line, one or more text lines, and a blank line. The timing line uses hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds with a comma before the milliseconds, and an arrow between the start and end times. Numbering matters because a parser may use it as an identifier, and because humans use it to find a cue when discussing a file with a translator or editor.
Problems usually show as duplicate numbers after a copy and paste, a gap after deleting a cue, or a restart at 1 halfway through a file that was made by joining two files. Cue order problems show as a cue appearing in the file before an earlier one in time.
When you will meet these problems
The usual triggers are merging a two-part film's subtitles, pasting corrections in a text editor, splitting a file to give each translator a part, and exporting from tools that leave numbers behind after cues are deleted. Players differ in how they react. Some silently fix the order, some skip cues, and some refuse to load the file, which makes the symptom inconsistent and hard to diagnose.
Running Edit › Fix numbering on any hand-edited file is cheap insurance before you upload it anywhere, and it does not alter the text or timing of a cue, only the order and the counters.
A safe merging and splitting routine
To merge, first shift the second file by the length of the first part using Edit › Shift timing…, then paste its content under the first file's last cue, leaving a blank line between blocks, then run Edit › Fix numbering. To split, copy the cues for each part into new files, and run the tool on each. If the second part must restart at zero, shift it by a negative amount equal to where it began.
Check the seam by playing around it. A cue overlapping the next one can display two lines at once, and this tool sorts by time but does not repair overlaps, so edit those by hand.
Mistakes to avoid
Do not edit the numbers by hand in a long file. Do not save the file in a rich text format, since SRT must be plain text. Do not forget the encoding: if accents break, open the file in a text editor and save as UTF-8. In Terminal, the file command with the -I option shows a text file's character set on macOS, and iconv converts between encodings, for example from Windows-1252 to UTF-8, if you are comfortable with the command line.
Verifying the result
Open the new file and scroll through it. The numbers should run from 1 upward without gaps, and the start times should increase from top to bottom. Spot-check the seam where two files were joined, and the last cue. Then load the file in the player where it failed before. If it still fails, the problem is something else: encoding, a malformed timing line, or a stray character at the top of the file, such as an invisible byte order mark. A text editor that shows invisible characters, or the file command in Terminal, helps find those.
Local files
Subtitle files can be unreleased scripts. FileDial runs every tool on your Mac and never uploads a file, and all tools work with Wi-Fi off.
Questions
What does Fix numbering do?
It sorts the cues by time and numbers them 1, 2, 3 and onward. The result is a new copy, and the original SRT stays as it was. Nothing else in the file is edited, so text and timing stay exactly as they were.
Does it fix out-of-sync subtitles?
No. It fixes order and numbering only. For a constant offset use Edit › Shift timing… For drift, you need subtitles that match your version of the video. Wrong timing needs a different fix, and Edit › Shift timing… handles constant offsets while drift needs matching subtitles.
How do I merge two SRT files?
Combine the text of both files in a text editor, shift the second file's timing first if needed, then run Edit › Fix numbering to sort and renumber the cues. Shift the second file first if it should start later, so the sorted result puts each cue in the right place.
Is the number important to players?
Many players ignore it, but the SRT format defines it, and some players or tools expect a valid sequence. Renumbering makes the file safe for stricter software. Even when a player ignores the counter, tools and editors that read the file strictly may reject a broken sequence.