First, understand what an LRC file contains

LRC is a text-based lyric format built for music playback. Each complete lyric line is paired with the moment it should appear. A simple file might look like this:

[00:12.30]<00:15.80>I have been waiting for this moment
[00:15.80]<00:18.90>To finally see your face
[00:18.90]<00:22.40>Dancing under the moonlight

The square tag is the line start. LyricTime can also include the explicit end in angle brackets. Some music players use both boundaries; others focus on the start tag and change lines when the next timestamp arrives.

This is why “make an LRC file” can describe different jobs. Converting existing captions is mostly a format change. Starting from plain lyrics means creating timing by hand. Starting from audio alone also requires recovering the words, which is a transcription problem rather than a conversion problem.

Workflow 1

Convert timed SRT or WebVTT to LRC

This is the quickest free route because the hard work—the lyric text and timing—already exists. Open the free Convert to LRC tool, paste or upload readable SRT or WebVTT, review the detected format, and download the LRC result.

If the source file has overlaps, broken timestamps, or incorrect lyric text, use the Lyric File Toolkit before or after conversion instead of expecting a format change to repair the content automatically.

Workflow 2

Create LRC manually from plain lyrics

Plain lyrics have words but no timing. In the Manual Timestamp Creator, paste one complete sung phrase per row and optionally attach the song. Press the timing button once when a line begins and again when it ends. Repeat for every line, adjust any miss by a tenth of a second, then export LRC.

1. 1. Prepare the line breaks. Use the phrases you want a player to display together.
2. 2. Attach audio locally. The file stays in the browser and is not uploaded by this free tool.
3. 3. Set both boundaries. Each line needs a start and an end before export.
4. 4. Download before leaving. The manual tool is session-based and does not save a project for later.

This path creates dependable line timing, but it does not create karaoke-style word timing. It is genuinely free because you supply both the lyrics and the manual work.

Workflow 3

Repair or finish an existing LRC file

If you already have an LRC file but the chorus arrives early, a line lasts too long, or the text needs cleanup, open it in the free Lyric File Toolkit. The Toolkit checks readable files for timing problems, lets you attach local audio, and gives each complete line editable start, end, duration, and text controls.

The important tradeoff is granularity. Word-timed input is intentionally converted to a line-timed working copy so complete lines can be checked and repaired consistently. Exporting that working copy does not restore the original word-level tags.

Use the Toolkit when the file itself needs attention. Use the lightweight converter when the timing is already good and only the destination format needs to change.

What if you only have the audio?

This is where the free conversion paths stop. A converter cannot pull missing lyrics from a song, and a manual timestamp tool cannot align words you do not have. You can transcribe the lyrics yourself and then use the free tools, or use LyricTime to create an editable transcript and automatic line or word timing from the audio.

Check the LRC before you use it

A file can be syntactically valid and still feel wrong during playback. Listen for lines that appear early, disappear before the vocal finishes, overlap the next phrase, or stay onscreen through a long instrumental gap. Also check repeated choruses: copied lyric text does not guarantee copied timing will fit the performance.

For a deeper comparison of LRC, SRT, and WebVTT, including where each format works best, read the lyric subtitle formats guide. When the LRC is ready, you can also take it into the free Lyric Video Studio and make a watermarked video in the browser.