YouTube Subtitle Download: Every Format (2026)

You can download YouTube subtitles by using an online subtitle tool, a command-line program like yt-dlp, or by copying text from YouTube's built-in transcript viewer. Most tools let you choose your output format: SRT for video editing, VTT for web players, TXT for plain text, or JSON for developer workflows. The process takes seconds for a single video and under a minute for entire playlists.

This guide covers four methods for downloading YouTube subtitles, compares subtitle formats, and explains how to handle auto-generated captions, multiple languages, and common problems. Whether you need subtitles for accessibility, translation, content repurposing, or archiving, one of these methods will work.

What are YouTube subtitles?

A YouTube subtitle download gives you the timed text overlay that appears during video playback, exported as a file you can open, edit, or import into other tools. Subtitles come in two types: manual captions uploaded by the video creator, and auto-generated captions created by YouTube's speech recognition system.

Manual captions are accurate because a human wrote them. Auto-generated captions are available on most English-language videos but can contain errors with technical terms, proper nouns, heavy accents, and background noise. YouTube supports auto-captions in over 15 languages, though accuracy varies.

You may also see the terms "captions," "subtitles," and "transcripts" used interchangeably. The underlying data is the same: timed text segments. The difference is in the format. Subtitle files (SRT, VTT) include timing codes. Transcript files (TXT) may strip timestamps and give you raw text. When you download YouTube subtitles, you are extracting this timed text data in whatever format you need.

Method 1: Download subtitles using YouTube's built-in viewer

YouTube has a native transcript viewer that lets you see the full text of any video with captions enabled. This is the simplest method if you need subtitles from a single video and do not need a specific file format.

Step 1: Open the transcript

Go to the YouTube video. Below the video player, click the three-dot menu ("More") and select "Show transcript." A panel opens on the right side showing the full subtitle text with timestamps.

Step 2: Copy the text

Click inside the transcript panel, select all the text (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A), and copy it. Paste into any text editor. The copied text includes timestamps by default. You can toggle timestamps off by clicking the three-dot menu inside the transcript panel.

Step 3: Save as a file

Paste the text into a .txt file and save. This gives you a basic transcript but not a properly formatted subtitle file like SRT or VTT. For structured formats, use one of the methods below.

Limitations: This method only works for one video at a time. There is no way to batch-download subtitles from a playlist or channel using YouTube's built-in viewer. If you need subtitles from multiple videos, a dedicated tool is faster.

Method 2: Use an online subtitle downloader

An online subtitle downloader handles format conversion, batch processing, and export in a single step. No command line, no browser extensions, no software to install.

Step 1: Paste your YouTube URL

Go to YouTube Video Transcript and paste any YouTube URL into the input field. The tool accepts video URLs, playlist URLs, and channel URLs. For a single YouTube video transcript, paste the video link. For bulk subtitle downloads, paste a channel or playlist URL.

Step 2: Select your subtitle format

Choose the format that matches your use case. YouTube Video Transcript supports six export formats: TXT, SRT, JSON, CSV, DOCX, and Markdown. For subtitle-specific workflows, SRT is the most widely compatible format. See the format comparison table below for details.

Step 3: Download

Click download. For single videos, you get a file instantly. For playlists and channels, all subtitles are packaged into a single ZIP file. A 50-video playlist typically finishes in under 10 seconds. Videos without captions are skipped automatically, and the tool reports which videos were excluded.

Method 3: Download subtitles with yt-dlp (command line)

yt-dlp is a free, open-source command-line tool for downloading YouTube content, including subtitles. It gives you full control over language selection, format, and batch processing.

Download subtitles from a single video

yt-dlp --write-subs --write-auto-subs \
--sub-lang en --sub-format srt \
--skip-download \
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

The --skip-download flag downloads only the subtitles without the video file. --write-subs grabs manual captions, and --write-auto-subs grabs auto-generated captions as a fallback. --sub-format srt converts the output to SRT format.

Download subtitles from an entire playlist

yt-dlp --write-subs --write-auto-subs \
--sub-lang en --sub-format srt \
--skip-download \
"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxxxxxxxx"

This downloads subtitle files for every video in the playlist. Each video gets its own SRT file. For channels, you can pass the channel URL directly, though this may take longer for channels with thousands of videos.

Download subtitles in multiple languages

yt-dlp --write-subs --sub-lang "en,es,fr,de" \
--skip-download \
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"

Separate language codes with commas. Use --list-subs to see all available subtitle languages for a video before downloading.

The yt-dlp approach is powerful but requires terminal familiarity, Python installed on your machine, and manual handling of errors and rate limits. For non-technical users, an online tool is simpler. If you also need the raw text without subtitle timing codes, see our guide on how to download YouTube transcripts for the full YouTube video transcript workflow.

Method 4: Browser extensions

Several Chrome extensions add a "Download Subtitles" button directly to the YouTube player page. Popular options include Glasp, YTScribe, and various transcript downloader extensions on the Chrome Web Store.

Extensions are convenient because they work without leaving YouTube. The downsides: most only support single-video downloads (no bulk), export format options are limited (usually just TXT), and extensions are frequently removed from the Chrome Web Store when they violate scraping policies.

If you need subtitles from just one video and want the fastest possible workflow, an extension works. For anything beyond that, a dedicated tool or yt-dlp is more reliable.

YouTube subtitle formats compared

The right format depends on what you plan to do with the subtitles. Here is a comparison of the most common subtitle and transcript formats:

If you are not sure, SRT is the safest choice for subtitle-specific work. It is the industry standard, supported by virtually every video editor and media player. If you just need the raw text without timing data, go with TXT.

How to download subtitles in other languages

Many YouTube videos have subtitles available in multiple languages. These can be either manually uploaded translations or YouTube's auto-translate feature, which machine-translates the original captions into other languages.

With yt-dlp, specify the language code: --sub-lang es for Spanish, --sub-lang ja for Japanese, etc. Use --list-subs first to see which languages are available for a specific video.

With online tools, most download the default (original) language. Some tools, including YouTube Video Transcript, let you select a specific language before downloading.

Accuracy note: YouTube's auto-translated subtitles are machine-generated from the original captions. They work reasonably well for common language pairs (English to Spanish, French, German) but can be unreliable for less common languages or technical content. Manually uploaded translations are always more accurate.

How to download auto-generated subtitles

YouTube automatically generates captions for most videos using speech recognition. These auto-generated subtitles are available even when the creator has not uploaded manual captions.

Auto-generated captions are downloaded the same way as manual captions. Most tools detect automatically whether a video has manual or auto-generated subtitles and download whichever is available. In yt-dlp, the --write-auto-subs flag explicitly requests auto-generated captions.

When auto-captions struggle:

• Heavy accents or non-native English speakers
• Technical jargon, brand names, and acronyms
• Multiple speakers talking over each other
• Background music or noise
• Whispered or very fast speech

If accuracy is critical for your use case, look for videos with a "CC" badge in YouTube search results. The CC badge indicates manually uploaded captions, which are significantly more accurate than auto-generated ones.

Troubleshooting common issues

Video has no subtitles available

Some creators disable captions entirely. Others upload videos in languages where YouTube's auto-caption system does not work. If a video has no subtitles, no tool can extract them. Bulk download tools skip these videos automatically and report which ones were excluded.

Subtitles are in the wrong language

YouTube sometimes auto-detects the wrong language, especially for multilingual content. In yt-dlp, use --list-subs to see all available tracks and explicitly select the correct one with --sub-lang. In online tools, check whether a language selector is available before downloading.

Auto-generated captions are garbled

Auto-captions can produce nonsensical text when audio quality is poor. There is no fix for this on the download side. The captions are stored on YouTube's servers exactly as the speech recognition system generated them. If you need accurate text from a video with bad auto-captions, you will need to transcribe it manually or use a dedicated transcription service.

Downloaded SRT file will not import into my video editor

Make sure the file encoding is UTF-8. Some tools export in other encodings that cause character issues in certain editors. Also verify the file extension is exactly .srt, not .srt.txt or similar. If timestamps appear broken, check that the SRT format uses the correct separator (--> with spaces on both sides).

Pricing: free vs. paid subtitle tools

Most single-video subtitle downloaders are free. Bulk downloaders and tools with advanced format support often have paid tiers. YouTube Video Transcript gives you 10 free transcripts with a Google sign-in (no credit card), and paid plans start at $9/month for 1,000 subtitles. yt-dlp is free and open-source but requires technical setup.

Frequently asked questions

Can you download subtitles from YouTube?

Yes. YouTube does not offer a direct download button, but you can copy subtitles from the built-in transcript viewer, use a subtitle downloader tool like YouTube Video Transcript, or use command-line tools like yt-dlp. All methods work with both manual and auto-generated captions.

How do I download YouTube subtitles as SRT?

Use a subtitle downloader that supports SRT export. Paste the YouTube video URL, select SRT as the output format, and download. SRT files include timestamps and are compatible with most video editors, media players, and subtitle tools.

How do I download auto-generated subtitles from YouTube?

Auto-generated subtitles are downloaded the same way as manual captions. Most tools, including YouTube Video Transcript and yt-dlp, automatically detect whether a video has manual or auto-generated captions and download whichever is available. Auto-generated captions may contain errors, especially with technical terms or accents.

Can I download YouTube subtitles in a different language?

Yes, if the video has subtitles available in multiple languages (either uploaded by the creator or auto-translated by YouTube). Tools like yt-dlp let you specify the language code (e.g., --sub-lang es for Spanish). Online tools typically download the default language unless you select otherwise.

What is the difference between subtitles and transcripts?

Subtitles are timed text segments synchronized to a video, displayed as captions during playback. Transcripts are the full text content of a video, sometimes without timestamps. Subtitle formats like SRT and VTT include timing data. Transcript formats like TXT may include only the raw text. The source data is the same: how it is formatted determines whether it is a subtitle file or a transcript.

How do I download YouTube subtitles on mobile?

On mobile, use an online subtitle downloader like YouTube Video Transcript in your phone's browser. Paste the YouTube video URL, choose your format, and download. No app installation required. The YouTube app itself does not offer subtitle downloads.