Download YouTube Subtitles

Paste a YouTube link. Generate subtitles.

Download as an SRT, VTT, or TXT file.

download_youtube_subtitles_srt_vtt_txt_files_V2.jpg

How to download YouTube subtitles

Create editable, downloadable subtitle files from YouTube links

Upload

any YouTube video by pasting a link into the Subtitles tool in Kapwing Studio.

Generate

synced captions by clicking "Automatic Subtitles." Edit if needed.

Download

your subtitle file as SRT, VTT, or TXT by clicking the download icon.

Download subtitles from any YouTube video

Save SRT, VTT, and TXT subtitle files from an online studio

Generate and export YouTube captions online

Paste a YouTube URL into Kapwing and generate subtitles automatically from the video's audio. Review the transcript alongside your video, make any corrections you need, then download the finished subtitles as an SRT, VTT, or TXT file.


Because Kapwing generates subtitles from the video's audio, you can create a downloadable subtitle file even when the original YouTube video doesn't include captions. You can also edit the text and timing before exporting instead of downloading an existing caption track as-is.


Use downloaded subtitles to repurpose YouTube content across platforms, add captions to edited clips, translate videos for different audiences, or turn spoken content into text for research and writing. Content creators, video editors, marketers, educators, and other teams can create the subtitle file they need from the same YouTube source.

Download Subtitles
Generate and export YouTube captions online

Put YouTube subtitles to work in any niche

Turn YouTube videos into downloadable subtitle files for teaching, publishing, editing, research, and repurposing.

Vloggers

Vloggers

Repurpose YouTube videos for Shorts, Reels, TikTok, and other channels with subtitle files you can edit and reuse alongside new cuts

Marketers

Marketers

Reuse webinars, product videos, interviews, and campaigns across channels with downloadable captions for shorter edits, translated versions, and social content

Educators

Educators

Download subtitles from lectures, tutorials, and educational videos for lesson materials, transcripts, study resources, or captioned course content

Gamers & Streamers

Gamers & Streamers

Turn gaming commentary, walkthroughs, streams, and highlights into timed captions for edited clips, compilations, and social posts

Video Editors

Video Editors

Generate SRT or VTT files from a YouTube source, correct the text and timing in Kapwing, then use the finished captions in your editing workflow

Researchers & Journalists

Researchers & Journalists

Save spoken content from interviews, presentations, and other YouTube videos as TXT for reference, or keep timestamps with SRT and VTT files when you need to return to specific moments

Save subtitle files from any YouTube Video

Create, edit, and download YouTube subtitles — in any format or language

Choose the subtitle format you need

Download YouTube subtitles from Kapwing as an SRT, VTT, or TXT file, depending on how you plan to use them. SRT and VTT both preserve subtitle text and timing so captions stay synchronized with your video. SRT is widely used across video platforms and editing tools, while VTT is commonly used for captions in web-based video players.


Choose TXT when you only need the spoken text without subtitle timestamps or formatting. It's useful for notes, scripts, research, and repurposing video content into written material. With Kapwing, you can generate subtitles from a YouTube video, review and edit them, then download the same captions in the file format that fits your workflow.

Download Subtitles
Choose the subtitle format you need

Create subtitle files in 100+ languages

Turn one YouTube video into subtitle files for audiences in different languages. After generating the original captions, use Kapwing's Subtitle Translator to translate them into 100+ languages while keeping the subtitles timed to the video. Review the translation in context, adjust wording or tone, then download the translated subtitles as an SRT, VTT, or TXT file.


For full video localization, use Kapwing's Video Translator to translate subtitles alongside spoken audio, with AI dubbing and automatic lip sync available in the same project. Move from a downloaded subtitle file to fully localized video content without starting over.

Translate Subtitles
Create subtitle files in 100+ languages

Edit before you download

Fine-tune your subtitles before exporting them. Kapwing's subtitle editing tool lets you correct spelling, names, punctuation, and transcription errors, or adjust timestamps and line breaks to improve readability. You can also add speaker labels, sound cues, or emojis, then download the updated captions as an SRT, VTT, or TXT file.


You can also edit the YouTube video itself before creating your final subtitle file. Use Kapwing's online video editor to trim footage, remove sections, rearrange clips, or create a shorter version, then generate subtitles that are synced to the edited video. This is useful for repurposing YouTube content because you can export a new video cut and its matching subtitle file without manually retiming captions after every edit.

Download Subtitles
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Kapwing is incredibly intuitive. Many of our marketers were able to get on the platform and use it right away with little to no instruction. No need for downloads or installations - it just works.
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Eunice Park
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With Kapwing, we're always ready to create.
Kapwing is an essential tool that we use in MOXIE Nashville every day. As a social media agency owner, there's a variety of video needs that my clients have. From adding subtitles to resizing videos for various platforms, Kapwing makes it possible for us to create incredible content that consistently exceeds client expectations. With Kapwing, we're always ready to create - from anywhere!
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Spend less time learning... and more time crafting stories.
Kapwing helps you spend less time learning complex video editing platforms and more time crafting stories that will connect with your audience and customers. We've used the platform to help create engaging social media clips from our clients' podcasts and we can't wait to see how the platform simplifies this process going forward. If you've learned graphic design with Canva, you can learn video editing with Kapwing.
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Kapwing is probably the most important tool for me and my team. It’s always there to meet our everyday needs in creating scroll-stopping and engaging videos for us and our clients. Kapwing is smart, fast, easy to use and full of features that are exactly what we need to make our workflow faster and more effective. We love it more each day and it keeps getting better.
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Panos Papagapiou
Managing Partner at EPATHLON
By the far the most user friendly software to use.
As a housewife at home looking to start a YouTube channel for fun with absolutely zero editing experience, it was so easy for me to teach myself via their YouTube channel. It takes the tediousness out of editing and encourages creativity. As long as Kapwing is around, I will be using their software.
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Kerry-lee Farla
Youtuber
Kapwing is my secret weapon!
This is one of the most powerful, yet inexpensive and easy-to-use video editing software I've found. I blow my team away with how fast and efficiently I can edit and turnaround video projects.
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Martin James
Video Editor
Love this site.
As an English Foreign Language Teacher, this site helps me to quickly subtitle interesting videos that I can use in class. The students love the videos, and the subtitles really help them to learn new vocabulary as well as better understand and follow the video.
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Heidi Rae
Education
Excellent subtitling features
[It] works perfectly for me. Have been using Kapwing for a year or so, and their automatic subtitle tool gets better and better every week, it's rare that I have to correct a word. Keep up the good work!
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Natasha Ball
Consultant
Best online video service ever. And a miracle for deaf people.
[Subtitler] is able to autogenerate subtitles for video in almost any language. I'm deaf (or almost deaf, to be correct) and thanks to Kapwing I'm now able understand and react on videos from my friends :)
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Mitch Rawlings
Information Services Freelancer
This tool should be in every social media account managers' bookmark list.
I use this daily to help with video editing. Even if you're a pro video editor, there is no need to be spending hours trying to get the format correct. Kapwing does the hard work for you.
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Dina Segovia
Virtual Freelance Worker
●Step by Step

How to Download Subtitles From YouTube

  1. Step 1
    Upload YouTube video

    Create a new project in Kapwing. Paste your YouTube link into Kapwing or upload the video file directly.

  2. Step 2
    Generate subtitles

    Open "Subtitles" from the left-hand toolbar, then select "Auto subtitles" to generate captions for your video or audio.

  3. Step 3
    Edit and export

    Review and refine the subtitles by adjusting timecodes, characters per line, or speaker labels. When you’re ready, click "Download" to export your YouTube subtitles as a TXT, SRT, or VTT file.

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●Just the FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

We have answers to the most common questions that our users ask.

Is the YouTube Subtitle Downloader free?

You can generate and extract subtitles from uploaded video files for free. To extract subtitles directly from a pasted link, a paid Kapwing account is required. Paid plans include additional benefits like higher export limits and access to advanced editing tools.

What file formats are supported?

Kapwing supports both video uploads and subtitle exports. You can upload common video and audio files such as MP4, MOV, WEBM, MP3, WAV, and more, or paste a YouTube link directly. For downloads, subtitles can be exported as SRT, VTT, or TXT files.

Can you upload content via pasted YouTube links?

Yes, you can paste a YouTube URL directly into Kapwing to extract subtitles instantly.

How to download subtitles from YouTube​

Paste a YouTube link or upload a video file to Kapwing, then use the Subtitles tool to generate captions. Review or edit the subtitles if needed, and download them as an SRT, VTT, or TXT file.

Can I download subtitles in different languages?

Kapwing supports subtitle generation and translation in over 100 languages. You can switch languages at any time, edit the translated text, and download the subtitle file in your preferred format.

Can I download subtitles even if the original YouTube video doesn't have them?

Yes, Kapwing can automatically generate subtitles using speech recognition, even if the original YouTube video does not include captions.

Does the tool download timestamps along with subtitles?

Yes, downloaded subtitle files include accurate timestamps that align with the video’s audio.

What is the difference between subtitles and a transcript?

Subtitles are time-coded text designed to display on screen in sync with video, while a transcript is plain text without timestamps. Subtitles are used for accessibility and video publishing, whereas transcripts are often used for reading, documentation, or repurposing content.

What’s the difference between SRT, VTT, and TXT?

  • SRT is the most common subtitle format and works across most video platforms.
  • VTT is a web-based format commonly used for HTML5 players and modern browsers.
  • TXT is plain text without timestamps, useful for scripts, notes, or content repurposing.
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