Subtitle file or plain text
TranscriptYou saves the track as plain text, with or without timestamps, or as a timed file for players and editors: see the YouTube to SRT converter.
YouTube Subtitle Downloader
Paste a link, pick the caption track, save it as a file.
// What it does
TranscriptYou is a free YouTube subtitle download tool: paste the link of a public video, pick any subtitle track it carries, creator-uploaded or auto-generated, and save it as a file in seconds. No account, no browser extension, no daily quota.
Unlike a YouTube downloader with subtitles, it does not download the video: you get only the subtitle text file with its original timings.
// Process
How to download YouTube subtitles in 4 steps
How to download subtitles from YouTube for any public video, on a computer or a phone, without YouTube Studio.
-
01
Copy the YouTube video link
Copy the address from the browser bar. On a phone, tap Share in the YouTube app, then Copy link.
-
02
Paste the link and fetch the subtitle track
Paste it into the field at the top of this page and press Download subtitles. The default caption track appears in a few seconds.
-
03
Choose the subtitle language
Open the language menu above the text and pick a track: creator-uploaded ones are listed by language, auto-generated ones carry an "auto" mark.
-
04
Download the subtitle file
Press Download to save the track as a timed .srt file or plain .txt text, or Copy to put it on the clipboard. The file lands in your Downloads folder, on a phone as well.
Paste a YouTube link and download subtitles now
- No sign-up
- Any subtitle track
- 125+ languages
// Features
YouTube subtitle downloader features
Every YouTube subtitles download starts from the caption tracks the video already has.
Subtitles in 125+ languages
YouTube supports captions in 125+ languages, and TranscriptYou lists every track a video actually carries. Creator-uploaded tracks exist only where the creator added them.
Auto-generated and creator-uploaded captions
As a YouTube caption downloader it treats both kinds the same way. Creator-uploaded captions are checked by a person; auto-generated ones come from YouTube's speech recognition and stumble on names and technical terms.
One-click copy to the clipboard
Copy puts the whole track on the clipboard, with or without timestamps, ready for Notion, Google Docs or a chat with an AI assistant.
Works on YouTube videos and Shorts
Any public video with at least one caption track works, and so do Shorts: paste a youtube.com/shorts/ link the same way.
Runs in the browser on desktop and mobile
The tool is a web page: nothing to install on Windows, macOS, Android or iPhone. On a phone the language menu opens as a bottom sheet.
AI summary from the same subtitles
One click on Summarize turns the loaded track into key points; the YouTube video summarizer opens with the summary first.
// Languages
Download YouTube subtitles in any language
What the track list of a video actually contains, and how to pick the right entry.
Original and auto-generated subtitle tracks
A video's original track is either uploaded by the creator or generated by YouTube's speech recognition; the automatic one carries an "auto" mark in the menu. When both exist for one language, take the creator's track: it is more accurate and has punctuation.
Auto-translated subtitles in 125+ languages
YouTube can auto-translate a caption track into 125+ languages, which is how English subtitles appear on a video recorded in Spanish or Japanese: pick the English entry when the menu offers it, and check names and terms against the original. Translation into languages the video does not carry is in development.
Two subtitle tracks for language learning
Download YouTube captions in the original language, then in your own, and read the two files side by side: the timestamps match line by line. TranscriptYou does not merge two languages into one bilingual file.
Need subtitles in another language?
Paste the link, open the language menu and pick the track.
// Who it is for
Who downloads YouTube subtitles
A subtitle file keeps the timing, so it travels with the video. The people who download subtitles from YouTube most often, and what they do with the file.
Language learners
A learner reads the original track as plain text before watching, then loads the timed file into a player to follow the speech line by line.
Video editors and content creators
An editor pulls the caption track from a published video for a cut-down or a repost with on-screen text; the timed file from the YouTube to SRT converter drops into the timeline, so nothing is retyped.
Translators and localization teams
A translator starts from the creator's track rather than the audio: the segments are already split and timed, so the target language goes into the same slots.
Students, teachers and researchers
A student saves a lecture as .txt, drops it into Notion or an AI chat and searches the text instead of scrubbing the video; a researcher quotes the exact wording with its timestamp.
Accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers
Shown offline or in a classroom, the downloaded track goes into the player as closed captions, so deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers follow the video without a connection.
// Why TranscriptYou
Why download YouTube subtitles with TranscriptYou
Six things this YouTube subtitle downloader does differently, each with the fact behind it.
Free, with no daily download quota
Every download is free, with no watermark and no paywall. The only restriction is anti-abuse rate limiting.
No account, no browser extension
Chrome and Firefox extensions need an install and permission to read every page you open; here you paste a link on this page and get a file.
Subtitle text straight from the YouTube track
Words and timings come from the caption track YouTube serves, unchanged: nothing is re-recognised or re-timed. Read how TranscriptYou reads subtitle tracks.
Subtitles, transcript and summary from one link
One pasted link gives a subtitle file here, a readable transcript in the YouTube transcript generator and key points in the summarizer.
Links and files are not stored
Links are processed on demand and the file is built in your browser; nothing is kept or tied to you. See the privacy policy.
No ads inside the tool
The input field, the language menu and the Download button are never surrounded by ad blocks or fake download buttons.
// Limitations
When YouTube subtitles cannot be downloaded
What YouTube Studio lets you download
YouTube offers a subtitle download only in YouTube Studio and only for your own videos: open the video, go to Subtitles, choose the language, open the ⋮ menu and pick Download (.srt, .sbv or .vtt). For anyone else's video the player shows a transcript on screen but gives no file; that gap is what a YouTube subtitle download tool fills.
Videos without accessible subtitle tracks
TranscriptYou reads existing tracks and does not run its own speech recognition, so a video with no captions returns nothing. The same goes for private, members-only and age-restricted videos, and for brand-new uploads YouTube has not captioned yet.
Try the YouTube subtitle downloader
Paste a YouTube link, pick a track, save the file.
- No sign-up
- Free
- .srt and .txt
// More tools
More free YouTube tools
YouTube transcript generator
The same caption track as running text with timestamps, for quoting and searching.
YouTube video summarizer
The track condensed into key points, with the full transcript underneath.
// FAQ
YouTube subtitle download FAQ
Phones, languages, YouTube Studio and the videos that cannot be read.
What is a YouTube subtitle downloader?
A YouTube subtitle downloader, also called a YouTube subtitle extractor, is a web tool that takes a video link and returns its caption track as a file. TranscriptYou lists every track the video carries and saves the chosen one as a timed file or plain text.
Is it free to download YouTube subtitles?
Yes. Downloading subtitles is free, with no watermark, no daily quota and no premium tier. The only limit is anti-abuse rate limiting that keeps the service fast for everyone, and normal use never reaches it.
Can I download auto-generated YouTube captions?
Yes. Auto-generated tracks appear in the language menu with an "auto" mark and download like any other. Expect the accuracy of YouTube's speech recognition: clear speech comes out well, names and technical terms may be wrong.
Can I download YouTube subtitles on my phone?
Yes. In the YouTube app tap Share, then Copy link, open transcriptyou.com in the phone's browser, paste the link and press Download subtitles. Pick the track and press Download; the file is saved to the phone's Downloads folder.
Can I download subtitles in another language?
If the video carries a track in that language, yes: open the language menu and pick it. That is also how to get English subtitles from a non-English video when the creator added them or YouTube auto-translated them.
How do I download subtitles from YouTube Studio?
Only for your own videos: in YouTube Studio choose the video, go to Subtitles, pick the language, open the ⋮ menu and select Download. For a video you do not own, Studio offers nothing; paste its link here instead.
Is it legal to download YouTube subtitles?
Saving subtitles for personal use, such as study, translation practice or accessibility, is generally fine. The text belongs to the video's creator, so re-uploading, publishing or using it commercially needs their permission. When in doubt, ask the creator.
Why can't I download subtitles for some videos?
Four reasons: the video is private, members-only, age-restricted, or it has no caption track at all. TranscriptYou does not run speech recognition of its own, so a video without captions returns nothing; brand-new uploads usually get automatic captions within hours.