Free YouTube tool
YouTube Subtitle Downloader
Pull subtitles from a supported YouTube video as clean, timestamped text — free, no sign-up.
Free · No sign-up · Requires retrievable captions
Subtitles, captions, transcript — same underlying text
A YouTube video's subtitles and its transcript come from the same caption track. This tool reads that track and presents it as timestamped text you can copy — whether the captions were written by the creator or generated automatically by YouTube.
If a video offers captions in more than one language, the extracted text follows the track YouTube serves for it.
Creator and auto captions
Works with both uploaded subtitle files and YouTube's automatic speech recognition.
Timecoded lines
Each subtitle line keeps its timestamp, preserving the timing structure of the original track.
No software required
No desktop downloader, no command line, no browser extension for the extraction itself.
How to download YouTube subtitles
- 1
Copy the video URL
Grab the link to the YouTube video whose subtitles you want.
- 2
Paste and extract
Paste it above. The subtitle track is read and formatted into timestamped text.
- 3
Copy the text
Copy the result into a document, a subtitle editor, or a translation tool.
Common uses
Translators & localizers
Start from the original subtitle text instead of transcribing the audio by hand.
Editors
Check caption accuracy or reuse the subtitle text as the basis for a corrected track.
Accessibility
Provide a readable text alternative for viewers who rely on captions.
Students
Turn a long lecture into text you can search, quote, and revise from without scrubbing the video for one definition.
Subtitle downloader FAQ
What is the difference between subtitles and a transcript?
On YouTube they come from the same caption track. Subtitles are the timed lines shown over the video; a transcript is that same text laid out for reading. This tool gives you the text with its timestamps.
Does it work with auto-generated captions?
Yes. Both creator-uploaded subtitles and YouTube's automatic captions are supported.
What if the video has no subtitles at all?
Then there is no caption track to extract. A small number of videos have neither uploaded subtitles nor auto-captions.
Do I need an account or an extension?
No account or extension is required for the public transcript tool, which is free and subject to rate and capacity limits. The JumpWatch Chrome extension is free to install; its AI summaries and chat require sign-in and follow your account's plan limits.
Keep the context
Take transcripts, summaries, and Ask onto YouTube.
Add the free extension for transcript search and assistant handoffs. Premium adds server-powered Brief and Ask on the video page.
Add to Chrome — FreeOr browse recent transcripts.