YouTube Subtitle Downloader
Paste a YouTube link to list the caption tracks the video already has. Choose one, preview it, then download SRT, VTT or TXT.
Does not use your free transcript extractions. Each network can look up 30 videos a day; the count resets at midnight Beijing time (UTC+8).
This video has no subtitles that YouTube can provide. Video Link to Text can transcribe the speech instead.
Preview
How to download YouTube subtitles
- Copy the link of a YouTube video. Watch pages, youtu.be share links, Shorts and embed links all work.
- Paste it above and choose Find subtitles. The page lists the uploaded and auto-generated tracks the video already has.
- Choose a track and a format, check the preview, then download the file or copy the text.
Uploaded vs auto-generated subtitles
| Track | Where it comes from | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Uploaded | Captions the creator uploaded or typed on YouTube. Some are translations the creator added. | Usually accurate, with line breaks and punctuation chosen by a person. |
| Auto-generated | YouTube speech recognition, in the language spoken in the video. | Little punctuation, and names or terms may be misheard. YouTube repeats rolling lines; the repeats are removed here. |
Download formats
| Format | What it contains |
|---|---|
| SRT | Numbered subtitles with start and end times. Works in most video editors and players. |
| VTT | WebVTT subtitles with start and end times, for web pages and HTML5 video players. |
| TXT | Only the words, one subtitle per line, without times. |
Why a video may have no subtitles
- The creator didn’t upload captions and YouTube hasn’t generated any. Auto-captions can take a while to appear after upload, and some languages, music-heavy videos or videos with poor audio never get them.
- The creator turned captions off or removed them.
- The video is private, members-only or age-restricted, or it is a live stream that hasn’t ended.
- YouTube is temporarily limiting requests. Trying again later usually works.
When there are no subtitles, the YouTube transcript generator can transcribe the speech from the audio. For more fixes, see YouTube transcript not available.
Common questions
Does this use my free transcript extractions?
No. The downloader has its own limit: each network can look up 30 videos and open 100 caption tracks a day, reset at midnight Beijing time (UTC+8). It reads the captions YouTube already has, without AI or credits.
Why aren’t translated languages listed?
The auto-translate option in YouTube’s player is machine translation, so it isn’t listed here. You get the uploaded tracks and the auto-generated track in the spoken language. For text in another language, use Video Link to Text, which offers 12 output languages.
Can I download a whole playlist or channel?
No. Paste one video link at a time. Playlists and streams that are still live are not supported.
Are the subtitles stored?
To make repeat requests faster, track lists are cached for up to 1 hour and caption text for up to 6 hours. Nothing is saved to an account or history.
Can I use the downloaded subtitles anywhere?
Only download subtitles you have the right to use, such as captions for your own videos or for personal study. Captions belong to the video’s creator; ask for permission before republishing them.