Paste a YouTube link, choose a subtitle language, and download the transcript as TXT, SRT, or VTT. It is free to start, with no sign-up or installation.
The download result
The workspace keeps the selected caption track connected to its timing, then prepares the structure required by TXT, SRT, or VTT. You are not copying lines into a document or rebuilding subtitle cues by hand.
Download more than one format from the same successful result. Keep TXT for reading, send SRT to an editor, or use VTT with a compatible web player.
Why use a downloader
Copying visible transcript text may be enough for a quick note, but it can lose cue boundaries, start and end times, language information, and the syntax an editor or player expects.
A YouTube subtitle downloader preserves the available caption track as a usable file. That removes the slowest part of the job: rebuilding timestamps and checking whether every line stayed in order.
How it works
Paste a YouTube watch link, share link, Short, embed link, live replay link, or 11-character video ID. Then click Get Subtitles to open the workspace.
The workspace lists only the languages that are actually available for your video. Click Language in the toolbar, pick a language from the list, and the transcript updates in place. You are not creating a new translation — you are reading the captions that YouTube already provides.
Click Download in the toolbar and choose TXT, SRT, or VTT. The file downloads immediately from within your workspace. You can switch formats and download again without resubmitting the video — one successful result can create all three files. TXT gives you clean text or timestamped lines. SRT and VTT preserve exact cue timing for editors and web players.
Where the files go next
Start with the destination. The same caption words can serve very different workflows once the file structure changes.
Download SRT when an editing app or collaborator asks for a conventional timed subtitle file. Check the first, middle, and final cue after import.
Download VTT for an HTML5 or browser-based player that accepts WebVTT. The WEBVTT header and cue syntax are created for you.
Download clean TXT when cue code gets in the way, or timestamped TXT when you still need quick reference points.
Choose a language supplied by the video and save it separately. The selector does not invent a missing track or present machine translation as an original caption.
Output formats
Choose the format that matches your next step. Each format serves a different purpose, and you can download all three from one result without resubmitting the video.
| Format | Best for | Timestamps | What you receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXT | Reading, notes, and copy | Optional | Plain or timestamped text |
| SRT | Video editors and subtitle upload | Yes | Numbered subtitle cues |
| VTT | Web video and caption workflows | Yes | WebVTT cues with timing |
TXT is the default choice for notes and reading. SRT is the most compatible subtitle format for video editing software. VTT is designed for web-based players and modern caption workflows. Timestamps are preserved in SRT and VTT; TXT can include them or remove them for clean paragraphs.
Caption source
The download keeps the exact wording and timing from the captions YouTube provides. The workspace shows whether each video uses manual captions uploaded by the creator or automatic captions generated by YouTube's speech recognition. Automatic captions can mishear names, numbers, accents, and specialist terms, so always check important lines against the video timestamp before using them.
File contents
TXT files include the transcript text with optional readable timestamps, organized by caption segment. Clean TXT removes timestamps for reading, while timestamped TXT keeps them as bracketed labels before each paragraph for easy reference.
SRT files are the standard subtitle format. Each cue has a sequence number, a start and end time in hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds, and the caption text. This is the format most video editors and subtitle tools expect.
VTT files begin with a WEBVTT header and follow with timing cues. The format supports optional styling and metadata headers, which SRT does not. Use VTT for web players that support the WebVTT standard.
Every file name uses the video title and selected language, so TXT, SRT, and VTT downloads from different videos stay easy to identify.
File preview
Below is the same short example shown in each format. The text is illustrative and not copied from a third-party video.
Welcome to the subtitle download example.
Start your first download in seconds.
Choose SRT, VTT, or TXT as needed.Clean text with optional timestamps. Best for reading, quoting, and notes.
Download sample TXT1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,500
Welcome to the subtitle download example.
2
00:00:02,500 --> 00:00:05,000
Start your first download in seconds.
3
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,000
Choose SRT, VTT, or TXT as needed.Standard subtitle format with cue numbers and precise timing. Works with most video editors.
Download sample SRTWEBVTT
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500
Welcome to the subtitle download example.
00:00:02.500 --> 00:00:05.000
Start your first download in seconds.
00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:08.000
Choose SRT, VTT, or TXT as needed.Web-ready caption format with WEBVTT header. Use for HTML5 players and streaming.
Download sample VTTBefore you download
A successful download starts with a few simple checks that take seconds and prevent surprises.
Private, removed, restricted, or still-live videos may not provide captions. If no transcript appears, check that the original link opens an accessible YouTube video.
The workspace labels whether captions are manual or automatically generated. For important work, check key lines near the beginning, middle, and end of the file.
Most video editors accept SRT. If an editor rejects the file, confirm it supports the format you chose. Renaming a VTT file to SRT does not change its structure — download the correct format instead.
Save the original YouTube link alongside your downloaded file so you can recheck wording later. If you edit the text, keep a separate copy and note what you changed.
The honest limits
A subtitle download is available after captions load successfully for a YouTube video. Private, removed, restricted, still-live, or caption-free videos may not return a file. Failed requests do not use a successful transcript allowance, and anonymous job history is removed after 24 hours.
This free retrieval workflow uses caption tracks that YouTube makes available. It does not generate a new transcript for a video with no captions.
The file can preserve timing while the underlying words still contain mistakes in names, numbers, accents, or specialist terms.
SRT and VTT are established formats, but an editor, player, or upload form can impose its own file and encoding requirements.
Questions
How formats, languages, free use, and file handling work.
Paste a YouTube link, wait for the transcript to load, then click Download and choose SRT. The file is created immediately in the workspace.
People often use caption and subtitle for the same timed text on YouTube. This page downloads the caption tracks already available for a video as TXT, SRT, or VTT.
Yes. After a successful transcript, you can click Download again and choose a different format. Switching between TXT, SRT, and VTT does not resubmit the video or use another transcript allowance.
TXT for readable notes and quoting. SRT for video editors like Premiere Pro, Final Cut, and DaVinci Resolve. VTT for web players and HTML5 captions.
Yes, when the video provides captions in more than one language. The Language selector in the workspace shows only the languages actually available for that video — it does not list languages that do not exist.
The video may be private, removed, restricted, still live-streaming, or published without any captions. A failed attempt does not count toward your free transcript allowance — you can try another video right away.
SRT and VTT always include precise timing. TXT offers a choice: clean text without timestamps for reading, or timestamped text with bracketed time labels for reference.
Yes. The workspace labels whether captions are manual or automatic. Automatic captions can contain mistakes in names, numbers, and technical terms, so always verify important lines against the video.
Try it now
Paste a YouTube link, choose a language, and download the file you need.