Downloading the subtitles of a YouTube video takes less than a minute and works the same way on every device. This guide shows you how to save them as SRT, VTT or TXT and how to use the file afterwards.
Step 1: Copy the video link
- On a computer: open the video on youtube.com and copy the address from the browser bar.
- On iPhone, iPad or Android: in the YouTube app, tap Share under the video, then Copy link.
Step 2: Open the subtitle downloader
Go to the YouTube Subtitle Downloader, paste the link into the box and press Start. After a moment you see the video’s title and the Subtitles tab.
Step 3: Choose the format
- SRT – for VLC and other players, TVs and video editors. The safest choice.
- VTT – for HTML5 web players and online course platforms.
- TXT – a clean transcript without numbers or timestamps.
Step 4: Pick a language and download
Languages are listed in three groups: subtitles from the creator, auto-generated captions, and translations. Press Convert next to a language, then Download. Languages show their country flag; type in the search box to find one quickly. After you press Download you see a preview of the first lines and a Copy transcript button.
Where to find the file
| Device | Location |
|---|---|
| Windows / Mac / Linux | Your Downloads folder |
| iPhone / iPad | Files app → Downloads |
| Android | Files app → Downloads |
Add the subtitles to a video
- Put the subtitle file in the same folder as the video.
- Rename it so it matches the video name, for example
my-video.mp4andmy-video.srt. - Open the video in VLC – the subtitles appear automatically. If they don’t, choose Subtitle → Add Subtitle File.
Want the video too? Download it with the YouTube to MP4 converter first, then grab its subtitles here.
Troubleshooting
- “This video has no subtitles” – the creator hasn’t added any and YouTube hasn’t generated captions yet. New uploads often get automatic captions a few hours after publishing.
- Strange characters in an old player – choose SRT, which includes a UTF-8 marker, or set the player’s subtitle encoding to UTF-8.
- Subtitles out of sync – make sure the video and the subtitles come from the same YouTube video. Most players can shift subtitle timing with the G and H keys (VLC).