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YouTube subtitle downloader

Get the subtitles of a public YouTube video as SRT or plain TXT. The SRT has timing when the video has timed captions. Paste the link, check the text on screen, and download.

Try a sample video

Input
A YouTube video link
Formats
SRT or TXT
Language
English
Price
Free, no account

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How to download YouTube subtitles

  1. 01

    Copy the video link

    Copy the address bar, or tap Share, then Copy link, in the YouTube app.

  2. 02

    Paste it and get the subtitles

    The text appears on screen, with timestamps when available. Hide the timestamps if you only want the words.

  3. 03

    Save .srt or .txt

    Press .srt for a caption file, timed when available, or .txt for the words alone. Copy puts the text on your clipboard.

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SRT or TXT: which file do you need?

Both files hold the same words. SRT adds the time each line appears when the video has timed captions. TXT drops the times and gives you one block of text.

FormatUse it forIncludes timing?
SRTVideo editors, media players, translation, and captions for your own videosYes, when the video has timed captions
TXTReading, notes, quotes, and pasting into a documentNo

What is inside an SRT file?

An SRT file is a list of numbered blocks, one per line on screen. Each block has a number, a line with a start and an end time, and the text. A blank line separates the blocks.

For example, block 3 might read 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,800, followed by the words spoken in that stretch. Times use hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds, with a comma before the milliseconds.

What can you do with the file?

  • Edit video: import the SRT as captions in your video editor, then style and position them there.
  • Watch offline: many media players load an SRT that has the same name as the video file and sits in the same folder.
  • Translate: open the SRT in a text editor or translation tool and change only the text. Leave the numbers and times alone.
  • Caption your own video: in YouTube Studio, open the video's subtitles and upload the SRT file.
  • Study or quote: save the TXT and search it for a phrase.

Subtitles or transcript: what is the difference?

Subtitles are short lines built for playback, each with a time. A transcript is the same speech laid out to read as a document.

Want to read or copy the words as text? Use YouTube to Text or the YouTube Transcript Generator. Want the short version of a long video? Try the YouTube summarizer.

Which videos can you save subtitles from?

Save subtitles from your own videos, from videos you have permission to use, and from videos with a license that allows it. Common reasons are a backup of your own captions, a translation you were asked to make, and study notes.

Don't republish someone else's subtitles or translation as your own.

YouTube subtitle download questions

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