YouTube SRT Downloader
Download any YouTube video's captions as a timed .srt subtitle file — ready to drop into a video editor. Choose the caption language; grab plain .txt too. Free, in your browser, no login.
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How to download YouTube subtitles as SRT
Copy the video link — a watch, youtu.be or Shorts URL all work — paste it into the box above and press Get subtitles. The available caption tracks appear; choose the language you want and download it as a ready-to-use .srt file, or as plain .txt if you just need the words.
The .srt lands in your Downloads folder on a computer or Android. On iPhone, Safari saves it into the Files app through the share sheet, where you can open it, rename it or move it into your editing app.
What an SRT file is — and when to use it
An SRT is a plain subtitle file: numbered lines, each with a start and end timecode and the text spoken in that moment. That timing is the whole point — drop the file into Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, CapCut or VLC and every line appears on screen at exactly the right second, which is why editors use SRT to add subtitles to a reupload, a translation or an accessible cut.
This is caption text, not a video or audio download — it's the words and their timings, not the clip. If you only want clean text to read, quote or summarise, the plain .txt is cleaner; and our YouTube Transcript tool gives you that flowing transcript without timecodes. This SRT downloader is the one to reach for when a video editor needs the timings.
Manual captions, auto-captions and languages
It works with both the captions a creator uploaded by hand and the ones YouTube generates automatically, so most videos produce a file even when no one added subtitles deliberately. When several caption tracks exist, you pick the language you need, and YouTube's auto-translations can be pulled too.
Auto-generated captions are usually good but not perfect — they can misread names, technical terms or people talking over each other, and their timings sit slightly loose. Because SRT is plain text, any slip is quick to fix in a text editor or your subtitle tool before you publish.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between the SRT and a plain transcript?+−
An SRT carries timecodes — each line is stamped with when it appears — so it's built for video editors and players that need subtitles to sync. A plain transcript (our YouTube Transcript tool) is clean, flowing text with no timings, better for reading, quoting or summarising. Here you can grab either the timed .srt or a plain .txt.
Does it work with auto-generated captions?+−
Yes. It handles both creator-uploaded captions and YouTube's automatic ones, so most videos work even without hand-added subtitles. Auto-captions can contain recognition errors, but as plain text they're easy to clean up afterwards.
What if the video has no captions at all?+−
Then there's nothing to download. This tool extracts captions that already exist — it doesn't transcribe audio from scratch — so a video with neither uploaded nor auto-generated captions can't produce an SRT, and the tool will tell you so.
Can I choose the subtitle language?+−
Yes. When a video has captions in more than one language you pick which to download, and YouTube's auto-translated tracks can be fetched too. If only one language exists, that's the one you'll get.
Can I use the subtitles I download?+−
Only download captions from content you have the right to use. The words belong to the video's creator; using them for study, accessibility or your own licensed edit is one thing, but republishing someone's video or subtitles without permission can breach copyright.
One downloader per platform
SUPPORTED PLATFORMSEach platform has its own tuned downloader page — same paste box, platform-specific formats and tips.
Ready when you are.
No sign-up, no install, no watermark. Paste a link and go.