TranscriptYTHow to download YouTube subtitles
- 1
Paste the YouTube link
Works with regular videos, Shorts, and youtu.be links.
- 2
Load the captions
The video's caption track loads with every line's timing.
- 3
Download SRT or VTT
SRT for video editors and players like Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, and VLC; VTT for the web.
For developers
Need transcripts at scale? Use the API.
The same transcripts are available through the TranscriptYT YouTube Transcript API: timestamped JSON, text, SRT, VTT, CSV, or Markdown, 150+ languages, and AI transcription for videos without captions. Or connect the MCP server to Claude, Cursor, or Codex and just paste links in chat.
curl "https://transcript-yt.com/v1/transcript?url=dQw4w9WgXcQ&format=text" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ts_live_..."
Frequently asked questions
How do I download subtitles from a YouTube video?
Paste the video link above, click Get transcript, then click SRT or VTT to download a subtitle file with the original timings.
What's the difference between SRT and VTT?
Both store caption text with start and end times. SRT is the most widely supported format in video editors and desktop players. VTT (WebVTT) is the standard for HTML5 video on the web.
Can I download auto-generated YouTube subtitles?
Yes. If a video only has YouTube's auto-generated captions, those are downloaded. The tool shows whether the captions are creator-uploaded or auto-generated.
Can I download subtitles in another language?
This free tool downloads the video's original caption track. The API can return any available language or translate subtitles into 150+ languages with timings preserved.
Is the subtitle downloader free?
Yes, for a few videos a day with no account. A free API key adds 100 more, and paid plans start at $3 a month.
Can I download subtitles in bulk?
Use the API: add format=srt or format=vtt to a request and the response is the subtitle file itself, ready to save, for any number of videos.