How to Download YouTube Subtitles (SRT, VTT or TXT)

Published on September 19, 2026

To download YouTube subtitles, paste the video's link into the transcript.you Subtitle Downloader, switch to the caption language you want if the video has more than one, and pick a format from the Export menu. Choose TXT, PDF or DOCX if you want to read the text, or SRT or VTT if the file is going into a video player or editor. This guide walks through each step, covers YouTube's own built-in options, and explains the limits so nothing catches you out.

What you need before you start

• A YouTube video that has captions. They can be captions the owner uploaded or YouTube's auto-generated ones. If a video has no captions at all, there is nothing to download. See what to do when a YouTube video has no subtitles.
• The video's link or ID. Regular videos, Shorts and replays of finished live streams all work.
• A free account, if you want a file. Guests can view and copy the text, but you need to be logged in to download a file.

Step by step: download subtitles from YouTube

1. Copy the video link

On a desktop, copy the URL from the address bar or click Share under the video and then Copy. In the YouTube app, tap Share and then Copy link. You can also paste just the video ID, the 11-character code that comes after v= in a normal watch URL.

2. Paste it into the Subtitle Downloader

Open the YouTube subtitle downloader, paste the link and submit it. You'll get a transcript page for that video.

3. Check the transcript and pick a language

The transcript page shows the full captions with clickable timestamps. Click one and the embedded player jumps to that moment, which is a quick way to check the text matches the audio. There's also a toggle to show or hide timestamps, a search box for finding a word or phrase, and a Copy button.

If the video has two or more caption tracks, a language dropdown appears. It lists only the tracks the video actually has. Manual and auto-generated tracks both show up, and they aren't labeled, so if you care which one you're getting, check the CC menu on YouTube itself: auto-generated tracks say "(auto-generated)" there. If the language you asked for isn't available, the page falls back to the first track the video has. On a free account, switching language counts as another transcript toward the daily limit. There's more on this in downloading YouTube subtitles in another language and in the guide to auto-generated captions.

4. Choose a format and download

Open the Export menu and pick a format:

• TXT, PDF, DOCX: free with a free account.
• SRT, VTT: your first SRT or VTT download is free with a free account. After that, SRT and VTT need a paid plan.

If you're not logged in, you can still use the Copy button and paste the text anywhere. To save a file, create a free account.

Which format should you choose?

The right format depends on what you'll do with the file next.

If you're not sure, SRT is the one almost every video app accepts, and TXT is the one to use if you only want the words. For real samples of each file and how to convert between them, see SRT vs VTT vs TXT.

The SRT and VTT timing is YouTube's own caption timing, unchanged, with one cue per caption line. With auto-generated captions that means lots of short, rolling fragments rather than neat full sentences. That's normal. If you need tidier lines, editing an SRT file covers how to merge fragments and fix timing.

Phone vs desktop

The Subtitle Downloader runs in the browser, so the steps are the same on a phone: copy the link from the YouTube app, open transcript.you in your mobile browser, paste it, and download.

A few practical differences:

• Where files go. On an iPhone, downloads usually end up in the Files app under Downloads. On Android, they usually go to the Downloads folder. The exact spot depends on your browser settings.
• Copy is often easier than downloading. If you only need the text in a notes app or a message, the Copy button saves you from hunting for a file.
• SRT and VTT files are mostly useful on a computer. Most people use them in desktop editors. Some phone editing apps can import them, but it varies by app.

YouTube's own options

YouTube has two built-in routes. They're worth knowing, but each covers a narrower case.

If it's your own video: YouTube Studio

Channel owners can download captions for their own uploads from YouTube Studio. Open Subtitles from the left-hand menu, choose the video, and look for the options menu next to the caption track, which includes a download option. This only works for videos on channels you manage, so it doesn't help if you want captions from someone else's video.

If you're a viewer: Show transcript

On a desktop, expand a video's description and click Show transcript. A panel opens with the captions and their timestamps, and you can select and copy the text. That's fine for a short clip, but you don't get a file, you don't get SRT or VTT, and selecting the whole transcript of a long video is fiddly. Copying from that panel is even more awkward on a phone.

Limits worth knowing

• Daily limit. Guests and free accounts get 1 YouTube transcript per 24 hours. Paid plans are unlimited and faster.
• YouTube only. The tool doesn't work with Netflix, Viki, Dailymotion, Vimeo or other sites. For those, see what subtitle downloaders can and can't do.
• No captions, no download. If a video has no caption track, the Subtitle Downloader shows an error. It doesn't transcribe the audio automatically. If you have the video file yourself (your own video, or one you're allowed to use), upload it to Video to SRT and AI will generate subtitles from the audio.
• Translation is text only. Paid plans can AI-translate the transcript into 130+ languages from the transcript page. The result is translated plain text, not a timed SRT or VTT file. YouTube's own "auto-translate" subtitle tracks aren't something we download.
• Many videos at once. Instead of repeating this one video at a time, Bulk Transcripts takes up to 50 links on paid plans. See how to download subtitles from multiple YouTube videos.

Using the file once you have it

A downloaded SRT or VTT is a sidecar file: it sits next to the video instead of being baked into the picture. To attach it in an editor or player, or to upload it to your own YouTube video, follow how to add an SRT file to a video. To fix wording or line breaks first, open it in a text editor. The SRT editing guide explains the file layout so you don't break it.

For background on the terms themselves, our guide to subtitles and captions and the explainer on closed captions vs subtitles are good starting points.

Is it OK to download YouTube subtitles?

Downloading captions for personal use, study, research notes or accessibility is generally fine. Republishing someone else's captions, for example uploading them to your own copy of their video or selling a transcript, is different. That needs the rights holder's permission. When in doubt, ask the creator. If it's your own video, you're free to do what you like with its captions.

FAQ

Is the YouTube subtitle downloader free?

Yes, with limits. A free account can download TXT, PDF and DOCX, plus your first SRT or VTT file, with 1 transcript per 24 hours. Guests can copy the text without an account. Unlimited use and repeat SRT/VTT downloads need a paid plan.

Can I download subtitles from a YouTube Short?

Yes. Paste the Shorts link into the Subtitle Downloader just like a regular video. It works as long as the Short has captions.

Why does my SRT have so many short lines?

The video probably only has auto-generated captions, which YouTube produces as short, rolling fragments. The SRT keeps YouTube's timing exactly, so you get one short cue per fragment.

Can I download subtitles for a whole playlist?

Not by pasting the playlist link, because playlist and channel URLs aren't expanded. You can paste up to 50 individual video links into the bulk tool and get them all back in one ZIP file.

Does this work for Netflix or Vimeo?

No, it's for YouTube only. Streaming services like Netflix protect their subtitles, so use the subtitle settings in their own apps. On Vimeo, video owners can download their own captions from their dashboard.