DaVinci Resolve reads more subtitle formats than it writes, and it writes different formats depending on which export path you take. That asymmetry is the whole story on this page: the file you dragged in is not necessarily a file you can get back out.
There is a second wrinkle most write-ups skip. Resolve has three separate ways to get subtitles out — the File menu, a right-click on the subtitle track header, and the Deliver page — and the reference manual gives each of them a different list of formats.
The formats, at a glance
Every cell below comes from the DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual. Page numbers are given so you can check each one.
| Path | Formats the manual names | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Importing subtitle files | ".srt, .srtx, .vtt, .xml, and .ttml" — introduced with "such as", so read it as examples rather than a closed list | Manual p.1270 |
| File > Export Subtitle | ".srt and .vtt formats" | Manual p.1287 |
| Right-click a subtitle track header > Export Subtitle | ".srt and .vtt formats" | Manual p.1287 |
| Deliver page, Format set to "As a separate file" | "IMSC1, DFXP, SRT, and WebVTT" | Manual p.4205 |
| Deliver page, Format set to "As embedded captions" | "Text and CEA-608", inside MXF OP1A and QuickTime files | Manual p.4205 |
| Deliver page, Format set to "Burn into video" | No subtitle file at all — the track is rendered into the picture | Manual p.4205 |
| Closed captions over Decklink or UltraStudio | Line 21 and CEA-708 output "is not supported at this time" | Manual p.4205 |
| Transcription text | "standard .srt files" | Manual p.1033 |
The import list is not a whitelist
The manual's sentence on the import side is worth reading literally:
"Currently, DaVinci Resolve supports subtitle files in multiple formats such as .srt, .srtx, .vtt, .xml, and .ttml."
Two words carry a lot of weight there. "Currently" means Blackmagic is explicitly dating the claim, and "such as" means the five extensions are examples, not the complete set. So a format that is missing from that sentence is not automatically rejected, and the sentence is not a guarantee that nothing else was added later. If you need certainty about a format that is not one of those five, check the official documentation for the version you actually have installed.
Three export paths, three different answers
Here are the export sentences verbatim, because the differences between them are the point.
The File menu, per manual p.1287:
"Choose File > Export Subtitle, and use the export dialog to choose a location and file type for the exported subtitle file. You can export subtitles in the .srt and .vtt formats."
The track header route, same page, same limitation:
"Right-click on the track header of a subtitle track, and choose Export Subtitle from the contextual menu. Use the export dialog to choose a location and file type for the exported subtitle file. You can export subtitles in the .srt and .vtt formats."
The Deliver page is the only path that widens the list, and it gates the format choice behind two controls. First an on/off switch — "Export Subtitle checkbox: Lets you enable or disable subtitle/closed caption output." Then a mode selector: "Format pop-up: Provides four options for outputting subtitles/closed captions." Only one of those four modes produces a subtitle file you can hand to someone:
"Export As: (Only available when Format is set to "As a separate file.") Lets you choose the subtitle/closed captioning format to output to. Options include: IMSC1, DFXP, SRT, and WebVTT."
Pick the embedded mode instead and the format menu changes identity entirely: "Codec: (Only available when Format is set to "As embedded captions.") Lets you choose how to format embedded closed captions; choices include: Text and CEA-608."
Put those side by side and two things fall out:
- IMSC1 and DFXP exist only in the Deliver page. Looking for them under File > Export Subtitle is a dead end by design, not a bug.
- No export list in the manual names
.srtx,.xml, or.ttml— those appear only in the import sentence above.
That last point is the usual source of frustration: a broadcast deliverable spec asks for a format Resolve happily ingested, and the export dialog does not offer it back.
What to do when the format you need is not on the list
Export SRT — both Export Subtitle routes list it, and so does the Deliver page under "As a separate file" — and convert afterwards.
Try it right here
Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.
That runs in your browser, so the caption file never leaves your machine. Going the other direction, from a Resolve SRT export to WebVTT for a web player, is SRT to VTT. If what you actually need is the text permanently in the picture rather than a sidecar file, burn subtitles into the video does it without a round trip through the Deliver page. For a plain-English comparison of what each caption container is for, see subtitle formats compared.
Gotchas the format list does not tell you
"Burn into video" burns one track, not all of them. The manual is specific: it "Renders all video with the currently selected subtitle track burned into the video." If your timeline carries several language tracks, selection decides which one ends up in the pixels.
Embedded captions mean CEA-608, in two containers. Verbatim: "Outputs the currently selected subtitle track as an embedded metadata layer within supported media formats. There is currently support for CEA-608 closed captions within MXF OP1A and QuickTime files." MP4 is not in that sentence — if a platform asks for captions embedded in an MP4, the manual does not document that as an option.
Hardware caption output is ruled out in writing. This is one of the rare places where Blackmagic states a negative outright:
"NOTE: Neither analog (Line 21) nor digital (CEA-708) closed caption output via Decklink or UltraStudio is supported at this time."
Transcription rides on SRT, and timecode has to line up. The manual says "Transcription text can be imported and exported using standard .srt files," and adds the condition that matters: "It's important that the timecode of the clip you're importing subtitles to, matches the timecode in the .srt file for accurate results."
Some platforms care about the filename, not just the format. The manual calls out one by name: "Some naming conventions require both language code and country code. For example, Facebook requires SubRip (.srt) files with the naming format "VideoFilename.[language code]_[country code].srt" for proper embedding."
FAQ
Which subtitle formats can DaVinci Resolve import? The manual lists ".srt, .srtx, .vtt, .xml, and .ttml" — but prefaces them with "such as", so that is a set of examples rather than a closed whitelist.
Can DaVinci Resolve export SRT? Yes, on all three documented file-export routes. File > Export Subtitle and the track-header context menu both offer ".srt and .vtt", and the Deliver page lists SRT among "IMSC1, DFXP, SRT, and WebVTT" when Format is set to "As a separate file".
Why can't I find IMSC1 or DFXP under File > Export Subtitle? Because the manual scopes those two to the Deliver page, under Format set to "As a separate file". The File menu route is documented as .srt and .vtt only.
Can DaVinci Resolve embed closed captions in an MP4? The manual documents embedded caption support as "CEA-608 closed captions within MXF OP1A and QuickTime files". MP4 is not named there, so check the official documentation before promising an MP4 with embedded captions.
Does the free version support fewer subtitle formats than Studio? Blackmagic's subtitle pages do not attach a free-versus-Studio split to these format lists, so there is nothing official to quote either way — check the official documentation for your version rather than assuming.
Can I export every subtitle track at once? For separate files, yes: the manual says "A set of checkboxes lets you choose which subtitle tracks you want to output." Burning in is the exception — that path handles the currently selected track only.
Need to reshape a caption file after it leaves Resolve? The converters above run entirely in your browser, and the rest of them are at all Clapr tools. More platform ceilings and format rules are collected in the limits hub.
Quotes taken from the DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual, pages 1033, 1270, 1285, 1287 and 4205, checked 16 September 2026. Blackmagic notes that its format support changes between versions, so verify against the manual shipped with your build.
