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screen name JG
Participant
June 7, 2022
Answered

Captions (.srt) will not import - the importer reported a generic error

  • June 7, 2022
  • 9 replies
  • 30376 views

I'm suddenly unable to import .srt files into Premiere Pro; I get "the importer reported a generic error." I've tried these things:

  • Moving the file to a different location
  • Renaming the file (although that seems to be for when you get that error on video files)
  • Restarted my computer
  • Downloaded a new caption file from YouTube and saved it with another name

I've had this error with more than one .srt file and in more than one project. I'm on a PC, Windows 10; Premiere is up to date.

 

I found an old thread where someone said that they solved the problem by deleting .xmp files but there was no explanation of how to do that and haven't been able to find an answer on Google.

    Correct answer easygoing_idea1549

    I am on Mac and PPCC 23.1.0

     

    created my own SRT with ScriptEditor, got the same "generic error". in my case the line breaks were the problem too.

     

    SOLUTION: 

    downloaded BBEdit on the App Store (free for Evaluation)

    imported file, clicked Text > Normalize Line Endings

    saved the File with "save as..." with Line breaks: Unix (LF), Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8)

     

    Thanks to everyone in this thread, especially @Stan Jones , I couldn't have solved this without the community!!!

     

    9 replies

    Y
    yvesmagat
    Known Participant
    June 23, 2025

    Hello. I had the same "generic error" message trying to import a .srt file with Ukrainian fonts. I work on Adobe Premiere Pro 2024 and a MacBook Pro 2018 OS 12.7.6. I eventally found a work around that coud probably be useful to others. I duplicated another .srt document in English with latin fonts working fine and kept only the first line. Then I copied-paste the text from the ukrainian document without the first line and it seems to be OK. Probably the new document kept the original category of fonts in English and used it for the new ukrainian ones.

    Stan Jones
    Community Expert
    Stan JonesCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 23, 2025

    @yvesmagat,

     

    Thanks for reporting your workaround. Always amazing options.

     

    I suspect the actual fix for some of the workarounds is a change in the UTF encoding.

     

    Stan

     

    ر
    رائد37284403nau9
    Participant
    January 9, 2025

    i give it to chat gpt and he fix it

    try that if you had that problem now

    E
    Elle_Axis Group
    Participant
    February 5, 2024

    I encountered a similar issue and discovered a straightforward solution. I modified the file's extension from .srt to .txt, saved the changes, and subsequently reverted it back to .srt. Afterward, I successfully re-uploaded the file to Premiere Pro. This method proved effective. 
    I hope this does the trick for you!
    Elke Fleurackers

    S
    Sophia3435496431ug
    Participant
    December 20, 2023

    Upload the original .srt file that can't be imported to an online subtitle conversion tool such as:

    https://subtitletools.com/convert-to-srt-online/05ca79c45f1c6c17

     

    Download the new .srt file after conversion. This new .srt file can be imported to Premiere Pro.

    easygoing_idea1549
    easygoing_idea1549Correct answer
    Inspiring
    October 9, 2023

    I am on Mac and PPCC 23.1.0

     

    created my own SRT with ScriptEditor, got the same "generic error". in my case the line breaks were the problem too.

     

    SOLUTION: 

    downloaded BBEdit on the App Store (free for Evaluation)

    imported file, clicked Text > Normalize Line Endings

    saved the File with "save as..." with Line breaks: Unix (LF), Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8)

     

    Thanks to everyone in this thread, especially @Stan Jones , I couldn't have solved this without the community!!!

     
      E
      Eduardo Riella
      Participant
      August 2, 2023

      I've converted from SRT to VTT, then, from VTT to SRT... It worked, don't really know why but if it works it works 🙂

       

      T
      Tayyab29686021xsmq
      Participating Frequently
      May 3, 2023

      If you are experiencing an error where captions (.srt) will not import into your video editing software and the importer is reporting a generic error, there are several steps you can take to try and resolve the issue:

      1. Check the file format - Make sure that the .srt file is in the correct format and is not corrupted. You can check this by opening the file in a text editor and verifying that the formatting is correct.

      2. Verify the software compatibility - Check that the video editing software you are using is compatible with .srt files. Some software may require additional plugins or updates to support this file format.

      3. Rename the file - Try renaming the .srt file to something simple and easy to remember. Some software may have issues with special characters or long file names.

      4. Check the file path - Verify that the .srt file is in the correct location and that the software can access it. Try moving the file to a different location and re-importing it.

      5. Use a different import method - If the software allows, try importing the .srt file through a different method such as dragging and dropping the file into the software.

      6. Contact support - If you have tried these steps and are still experiencing issues with importing .srt files, contact the software's support team for further assistance.

      By following these steps, you may be able to resolve the issue and import your captions successfully.

      Tebz Moagi
      Tebz Moagi
      Participant
      May 3, 2023

      Thanks a lot, I got it right.

      When premiere pro launched, I held the option key down and reset premiere and cleared cache. It worked

      C
      Chris Hsiung
      Participating Frequently
      December 8, 2022

      I have this same problem where I get a generic error when attempting to import a .srt file. I'm running Premiere Pro 23.0.0. I've stripped the .SRT file to one line and I still get a generic error. See attached. Any suggestions as to what migth be causing the error? Note that for the attachment I had to add a .txt extension because this forum doesn't allow an unrecognized extension. As a side I note, I don't get the generic error if I rename as a .txt but then Premiere Pro doesn't recognize it as a caption file.

      Stan Jones
      Community Expert
      Stan JonesCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      December 8, 2022

      Are you sure you have a regular srt file?

       

      This is what a properly formatted srt file looks like:
      Caption number, new line

      Timecode (semicolons for drop frame, otherwise colons; milliseconds after comma, converted to frames on import), new line

      Text of caption with separate lines of caption on separate lines

      Empty line (one and only one)

       

      1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,986
MP4 Caption One

2
00:00:04,204 --> 00:00:07,190
MP4 Caption Two

       

      Stan

       

        Stan Jones
        Community Expert
        Stan JonesCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        December 10, 2022

        Chris,

         

        I see what you mean now. What the forum display shows is without line breaks:

        100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,882A message from Canada

         

        Yes, encoding can be an issue too, but it is almost always an extra line or some other formatting. Once upon a time, it was UTF8 with BOM. But I have successfully imported other file types since.

         

        Stan

         


        The file is UTF8-BOM, but it uses line endings with only <CR> (Mac style). I am on Windows 10, and they do not import for me to PR 2023.0.

         

        I edited in Notepad++ (Windows). When I convert them to <CR><LF> (Windows style) or <LN> (Linux), they import. I don't recall this being discussed as to what line endings work on Windows vs Mac. The CR only is the old Mac style?

         

        Are you on Mac?

         

        Curious for anyone who can test: what are the srt line endings for srt exported from PR on Mac (what Mac OS)?

         

        Do Macs (what OS) import srt with <CR><LF>?

         

        Stan

         

          Stan Jones
          Community Expert
          Stan JonesCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          June 7, 2022

          All the threads I'm seeing with this error are prior to the PR 2021/22 caption workflow. What version of PR are you using?

          Stan

           

          S
          screen name JGAuthor
          Participant
          June 7, 2022

          Hi, I'm on Creative Cloud -- Premiere Pro is v22.4.

          Stan Jones
          Community Expert
          Stan JonesCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          June 7, 2022

          Are you able to import other types of files? .mp4 etc.

           

          Create a test project. Create a sequence. Add a Subtitle caption track. Add 3 captions. Export srt.

           

          Close that project. Open a new one. Can you import the srt you exported?

           

          Stan

           

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