How to Download YouTube Subtitles as Text

Tap a step to see it in order.

  1. Open the video you want subtitles from

    Go to the YouTube video page for the video whose subtitles you want to save.

  2. Open "Show transcript"

    Click the more options (β€’β€’β€’) menu below the video and select Show transcript.

  3. Copy the transcript text

    Select the entire transcript that appears on screen and copy it.

  4. Use a subtitle-extraction tool if you need a file

    If you want the subtitles saved as an SRT file rather than plain text, a web tool that supports subtitle extraction can generate one for you.

  5. Why It's Useful

    Turning a lecture or interview into text makes it much easier to review the content, search for a specific part, or translate it later.

Turn Video Content Into Text You Can Search or Translate

Watching an hour-long lecture or interview again just to find one detail is slow. Once the transcript is saved as text, you can search it instantly, paste sections into your notes, or run it through a translator, which is a much faster way to work with spoken content.

Respect Copyright and the Platform's Terms

A transcript is still the creator's content, so this is best used for personal note-taking, study, or translation rather than republishing someone else's video as text elsewhere. If you plan to share or reuse a transcript publicly, check the platform's terms of service and the original creator's rights first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every video have a transcript option?

No β€” the transcript option only appears on videos that have either auto-generated captions or captions the creator uploaded themselves.

How accurate are auto-generated captions?

Accuracy varies depending on speech clarity, accents, and background noise, so it's worth cross-checking against the video itself if you need the text to be precise.