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EzTranscriber

YouTube Subtitle Downloader: Fresh SRT Subtitles for YouTube Videos

Paste a public YouTube link and this YouTube subtitle downloader listens to the speech and builds clean SRT or VTT subtitles with readable line lengths, even when the video has no captions at all. Fix a word, shift the timing, translate them and download, and new accounts get free credits to start.

SRT and VTT DownloadWorks Without CaptionsTranslate SubtitlesFree Credits to Start

Paste a YouTube video link

Public videos and reels only. We fetch the audio and transcribe it, nothing is posted to your account.

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Why Most YouTube Subtitle Downloader Tools Come Up Empty

A typical YouTube subtitle downloader only copies the caption track the video already has. If the creator never added captions, you get nothing; if YouTube made them automatically, you get one long run of lowercase words with no punctuation and timing that drifts. EzTranscriber works differently: it transcribes the speech and builds new subtitles from it, so you can download YouTube subtitles for videos that never had any. Whether you type download caption YouTube, caption download YouTube or YouTube to subtitle into a search bar, you usually want the same thing: a clean subtitle file you can use. These are the problems it solves:

  • Videos with no caption track to download at all
  • Auto captions with no punctuation and wrong words
  • Caption lines too long to read on a phone
  • Subtitles needed in a different language
  • Retyping and timing captions by hand for a re-edit
Paste a YouTube Link

What This YouTube Subtitle Downloader Gives You

A YouTube caption downloader online that writes the subtitles itself, with timing and line length a viewer can actually read.

Fresh Subtitles From the Speech

Every subtitle is made from the audio, so captioned, uncaptioned and badly auto captioned videos all come out clean and punctuated.

SRT and VTT Files

Download SRT for editors and players or VTT for web players, or copy the SRT text straight to the clipboard.

Readable Line Length

Choose 32 or 42 characters per line, one or two lines, and a maximum time on screen from 2 to 7 seconds per caption.

Edit Before You Download

Fix any word in the cue list. Warnings flag lines that are too long and captions that would be shown too fast to read.

Shift the Whole Track

Nudge every caption earlier or later in 100 millisecond steps so the subtitles line up with your own edit of the video.

Subtitles in 35+ Languages

Transcribe speech in 99 languages and translate the result into 35+ languages, then export translated subtitles as SRT or VTT.

How to Download YouTube Subtitles as SRT in Three Steps

Download subtitles from YouTube online without installing anything or opening YouTube Studio. It is the easiest way to download a subtitle file from YouTube for a video you are allowed to reuse.

  1. 1

    Copy the YouTube link

    Copy the address of a public video, a youtu.be link or a Shorts link from the Share button or the browser bar.

  2. 2

    Paste it and set the caption style

    Sign in, paste the link and pick the caption length: 32 or 42 characters per line, one or two lines, and how long each caption may stay on screen. Press Transcribe and the subtitles are built from the speech.

  3. 3

    Check, shift and download

    Read through the cue list, fix any word, shift the timing if you need to and download the SRT or VTT. Translate first if you need subtitles in another language.

Features of the EzTranscriber YouTube Caption Downloader

Everything between pasting a link and dropping an SRT into your editor.

YouTube Subtitles for Videos With No Captions

A caption extractor can only return what is already there. EzTranscriber transcribes the speech with an AI speech model and turns it into timed subtitles, so you can download YouTube captions for a video with captions switched off, a recorded webinar or an older upload too. Because the text is written fresh, it has punctuation, capital letters and sensible line breaks, which auto captions usually lack. If you were looking for a YouTube subtitle extractor or a way to extract YouTube subtitles or extract YouTube captions from an uncaptioned video, this is the version that works when there is nothing to extract.

Try a Video Without Captions

Caption Length and Timing Rules Built In

Good subtitles are short enough to read at a glance. Pick 42 characters per line for widescreen video or 32 for vertical clips, one or two lines per caption, and a maximum display time from 2 to 7 seconds. Captions break at commas and full stops where possible and avoid leaving a single word alone on a line. Change the settings and the whole YouTube to SRT result is rebuilt to match, so you never fix line lengths by hand.

Set Caption Length

Edit Text and Shift Timing Before You Download

The result opens as a subtitle editor: a numbered cue list with start and end times and the text of each caption. Correct a name or a technical term right in the list, and amber warnings point out lines that run too long or captions that would flash by faster than about 20 characters per second. A global offset moves every caption in 100 millisecond steps, which is handy when you trim an intro. Note that changing the caption settings rebuilds the cues and clears earlier text edits, so set the style first and edit last.

Open the Subtitle Editor

Translate YouTube Subtitles Into 35+ Languages

Speech in any of 99 languages can be transcribed, and the result can be translated into 35+ languages with one click. Download the translated SRT or VTT to add a second language track to your own video, or read the original and the translation side by side while you check it. Translation uses a few extra credits and works once you are signed in.

Translate Subtitles

YouTube to SRT Example: One Clip, Three Formats

Switch between SRT, VTT and plain text, and change the line length to see the captions rebuild.

Characters per line
At night it shifts to a warm, soft light
that is easy on your eyes.
00:09 / 00:20
4 captionsUp to 2 lines42 characters
1
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:04,200
Meet the new Aura lamp, a desk light that
follows the sun.

2
00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:08,900
In the morning it glows cool and bright to
help you focus.

3
00:00:09,100 --> 00:00:13,600
At night it shifts to a warm, soft light
that is easy on your eyes.

4
00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:19,400
Set it once in the app, and it adjusts by
itself every single day.

The same 20 seconds of a product video, as the YouTube subtitle downloader exports it. SRT numbers each caption and uses commas in the times, VTT adds a header and full stops, and the text view drops the timing for notes. Switching from 42 to 32 characters per line splits the captions into shorter ones that suit vertical video. It is a download YouTube subtitles tool that shows you the file before you save it.

YouTube Caption Downloader Options Compared

How fresh subtitles from EzTranscriber compare with copying the caption track and with YouTube Studio.

YouTube Caption Downloader Options ComparedEzTranscriberCaption track copiersYouTube Studio
Works when the video has no captions
Punctuation and capital lettersOnly if the creator added themOnly if the creator added them
Readable line length settings
Edit text before download
Global timing offset
Translated subtitlesMachine captions onlyManual
Any public video, not just yours
SRT and VTT download

Who Needs to Download Subtitles From YouTube

Creators, editors and learners who need a YouTube video subtitles download they can trust.

Creators Re-editing Videos

Pull subtitles for your own upload, cut a highlight in your editor and shift the SRT to match. For a video you have as a file, use MP4 to text.

Translators and Localizers

Start from a clean, timed English track and translate it, instead of timing a new subtitle file from zero.

Teachers

Add readable captions to a lesson video you are allowed to show, so students can follow along with the sound off.

Accessibility Teams

Replace missing or poor auto captions on your organization videos with punctuated, properly timed subtitles.

Clip and Shorts Makers

Use 32 characters per line and one line per caption for vertical clips that read well on a phone.

Language Learners

Download YouTube subtitles in the original language and a translation, then study them line by line.

What Editors Say About Our YouTube Subtitle Downloader

The old channel uploads never had captions. Now I paste the link, set two lines of 42 characters and drop the SRT straight into my editor.

Lukas Weber

Video Editor

Auto captions on our webinars were a mess of lowercase words. These subtitles come out punctuated and the reading speed warnings catch the fast bits.

Grace Kim

Accessibility Lead

I translate the English subtitles into Spanish for our second channel. Having clean timing to start from saves me hours on every video.

Mateo Alvarez

Localization Specialist

For Shorts I switch to 32 characters and one line. The captions finally fit a phone screen without me splitting them by hand.

Chloe Martin

Social Media Producer

YouTube Subtitle Downloader FAQs

Straight answers about getting SRT and VTT subtitles for YouTube videos.

How does this YouTube subtitle downloader work?

You paste a public YouTube link, EzTranscriber transcribes the speech and builds timed subtitles from it, and you download them as SRT or VTT. It is a YouTube subtitle downloader online that works in the browser for anyone who searched YouTube download subtitles, with nothing to install.

Does it download the caption track the video already has?

No. It does not copy the existing caption track or closed captions; it creates new subtitles from what is said. That is why it also works on videos with no captions. If you need the exact captions the creator uploaded, the owner can export them from YouTube Studio.

Can I get subtitles from a YouTube link without captions?

Yes. To get subtitles from a YouTube link that has no captions, or to download captions from a YouTube video with auto captions you do not trust, paste it as usual. The subtitles come from the audio, so the caption setting of the video does not matter.

Which formats can I download?

SRT and VTT subtitle files, or the text as TXT, DOCX or PDF if you want to download YouTube subtitles as text. Copy SRT puts the file contents on your clipboard. For a full YouTube video transcript download with speakers, the YouTube transcript generator is the better YouTube video transcript downloader.

Is YT to SRT the same as a YouTube subtitle download?

Yes. A YouTube subtitle download that ends in an SRT file is what most people want. Whether you call it YT to SRT, a YouTube SRT downloader, SRT YouTube or download SRT from YouTube, paste the link here and the file is built from the speech. A YouTube SRT download keeps the caption number, start and end time and text for every line.

Is it a YouTube CC downloader for closed captions?

It works as a YouTube CC downloader in the sense that you get a closed caption file, written fresh from the speech. Searches for YouTube download CC subtitles or a YouTube closed captioning download usually mean you want an editable file, and that is what you get. If you need to download closed captions from YouTube exactly as the creator uploaded them, only the channel owner can export those in YouTube Studio.

Can I download subtitles in YouTube itself?

Only for your own videos. To download subtitles in YouTube you need owner access to YouTube Studio, and auto captions often need fixing first. For any public video, paste the link here instead for a quick YouTube subtitles download.

Can I download a YouTube video with subtitles?

No. EzTranscriber does not download videos or audio; you get the subtitle file only. Load it next to your own copy of the video in an editor or a player that accepts SRT.

Is it a free YouTube caption downloader?

New accounts get free credits, so you can download YouTube subtitles free online for your first videos. A link needs credits for 10 minutes to start and is charged its real length at 1 credit per minute; see the pricing page.

How do I make the subtitles shorter or longer?

Change the characters per line (32 or 42), the number of lines and the maximum time on screen before you transcribe or afterwards. The captions rebuild to match the new settings.

Can I fix mistakes or move the timing?

Yes. Edit the text of any caption in the cue list and shift every caption with the global offset in 100 millisecond steps. Changing the caption settings afterwards rebuilds the cues, so make text edits last.

Can I translate YouTube subtitles?

Yes. Translate the subtitles into 35+ languages and download the translated SRT or VTT, or read both languages side by side while you check them.

Which videos work?

Public YouTube videos, youtu.be links and Shorts. Private, members only, age restricted, region blocked and live videos cannot be read, and a link can be up to one hour long; the limit is shown before you start.

Can I use the subtitles on someone else's video?

Only make and use subtitles for videos you have the right to use, such as your own uploads or content you are licensed to edit, translate or republish.

Are my subtitles private?

Yes. Results are saved only to your own history, are never published and can be deleted at any time.

Get SRT Subtitles With the YouTube Subtitle Downloader

Paste a link and the YouTube subtitle downloader builds clean, readable SRT and VTT subtitles from the speech, ready to edit, translate and download. Need to download YouTube subtitles online for several videos? Paste them one after another. Making captions for your own video file? Use audio to SRT, or start from the main audio to text converter.