What is the VLC shortcut for audio delay?
J and K, in 50 ms steps, according to VideoLAN’s documentation. The current delay appears in the corner of the picture as you press them.
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VLC audio delay: the shortcut and the permanent fix
Shift the sound while you watch with two keys, enter an exact value in Track Synchronization, and save the same offset into the file so every player gets it right.
To fix audio delay in VLC, press J or K while the video plays: each press moves the sound by 50 ms, and VLC shows the new delay on screen. Press one key a few times and watch a speaking face; if it gets worse, use the other. For an exact value, open Tools → Track Synchronization and type it in. Subtitles have their own pair of keys, G and H.
VLC’s delay applies only to that playback, so the next time you open the file, or play it on a phone or TV, it is out of sync again. To fix it for good, open the file here, type the same number of milliseconds as the Sound offset, and press Export video. The picture is copied as it is, and the corrected file plays right in VLC and everywhere else.
How to save a VLC audio delay into the file
First find the delay in VLC, then make it permanent here.
Find the delay in VLC
Play the video and press J or K until the voices match the lips. Note the delay VLC shows in the corner of the picture.
Open the same file here
Drop it onto Drop a video to fix its sound above. The offset field is ready for you to type into.
Enter the offset
Type the delay in milliseconds as the Sound offset: VLC shows seconds, so 0.250 s is 250 ms. Positive plays the sound later, negative earlier. Check it on a few lines of speech and adjust with Earlier or Later if needed.
Export video
Press Export video (Ctrl/⌘+Enter) and keep the new file. Reset VLC’s delay to zero before you play it, or you will apply the fix twice.
VLC’s sync controls
| What | Keys | Step | Exact value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio delay | J and K | 50 ms | Tools → Track Synchronization |
| Subtitle delay | G and H | 50 ms | Tools → Track Synchronization |
VideoLAN’s wiki says to press J when the sound is ahead of the picture and K when it is behind, and admits that the signs are confusing. Watching the effect is quicker than reasoning about it: if a few presses make it worse, use the other key.
On a Mac
The Mac version of VLC uses its own keyboard shortcuts, and they have changed between versions. Open VLC’s preferences and look under Hotkeys for the audio delay entries, or use the Track Synchronization window from the menu bar.
On phones
VLC for Android and iOS has audio and subtitle delay controls in the player’s options while a video plays. The exact menu varies by version.
Why VLC forgets the delay
The value in Track Synchronization belongs to the current playback. VLC also has an Audio desynchronization compensation setting in its full preferences (with all settings shown), which applies to every file. That is useful when your sound system always adds the same delay, but wrong for a single badly synced video, because it shifts every other file too.
- One file out of sync: fix the file, once, with the tool above.
- Every file out of sync on one computer: the sound output (often Bluetooth) is the cause; measure it with the audio delay test.
- Subtitles out of sync: save corrected subtitles with subtitle sync instead of adjusting VLC each time.
From a VLC value to a fixed file
- Read the delay VLC shows, for example “Audio delay: 300 ms” or 0.300 s in Track Synchronization.
- In the tool, type 300 as the Sound offset if VLC’s delay made the sound play later, or −300 if it made the sound play earlier.
- Not sure which? Type it, press play and watch a face. Detect automatically and the clap tools confirm it either way.
- Export, then set VLC’s delay back to zero and play the new file to check.
For drift, where no single value is right for the whole video, VLC’s delay can’t help at all: see fix audio drift. For files that CapCut or another editor exported out of sync, the same fix applies: CapCut sync.
Questions about VLC audio delay
How do I set an exact audio delay in VLC?
Open Tools → Track Synchronization and enter the value for the audio track. It is shown in seconds, so 0.150 is 150 ms.
Why does VLC not save my audio delay?
The delay belongs to that playback. To keep it, save it into the file: open the video here, type the same number of milliseconds and export a new copy.
How do I change subtitle delay in VLC?
Press G or H during playback (50 ms per press) or enter a value in Track Synchronization. To fix the subtitle file itself, use subtitle sync.
Will the corrected file still be in sync in VLC?
Yes, once VLC’s own delay is back at zero. The fixed file carries the new timing, so VLC, browsers, phones and TVs all play it in sync.
Does fixing it here re-encode my video?
No. The picture is copied, and with Copy (lossless) under More options so is the sound; only the timing changes.