GetTheText

YouTube Subtitle
Downloader

Paste a YouTube link and download its subtitles as SRT or VTT with the original timing. Every language track the video has, auto-generated ones included. Free, no account.

Works with youtube.com, youtu.be, Shorts, live and embed links. Try an example

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Multilingual support
  • SRT and VTT

No link handy? Try one of these

Subtitle files done properly

Original timing, every language track, clean file names. Preview the cues on the page before you download anything.

Original timing

Cues start and end exactly where they do in the video. No re-sync needed.

SRT or VTT

The two formats every player, editor and browser understands. Plus timed TXT.

Every language track

Manual and auto-generated captions, in all the languages the video carries.

Preview before download

See the cues on the page first, so you know it's the right track.

Named for the video

Files come out as title.language.srt, so they still make sense in a folder next month.

No video download

The video never touches your disk or ours. Just the words.

Which format do you need?

Three files, same words. The difference is who's going to open them.

.srtMost compatible

Numbered cues with start and end times. The default for VLC, Premiere, DaVinci and most players.

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,400
Hi, and welcome back.
Opens in VLC, Premiere, DaVinci, Plex
.vttFor the web

WebVTT cues with millisecond timing. What browsers and HTML5 video players expect.

WEBVTT

00:00.000 --> 00:02.400
Hi, and welcome back.
Opens in Browsers, Vimeo, LMS players
.txtTimed text

One caption per line with its timestamp. For notes, spreadsheets, or a quick read.

[0:00] Hi, and welcome back.
[0:03] Today we're looking at…
Opens in Any text editor
1-Click Transcripts

Easy url hack for transcripts

Watching something? Click the address bar, add text after youtube, press Enter. Pick a language, download the file. Nothing to copy, nothing to paste.

youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
youtubetext.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Works for watch links, Shorts, live replays and embeds. Easy to remember.

Who downloads subtitles, and why

Video editors

Drop the SRT on the timeline and burn in captions without retyping a word.

Translators

Start from the timed original and swap the text, cue by cue.

Accessibility teams

Ship captions with a re-hosted video, in the format the player wants.

Language learners

Load the subtitle file into your player and read along in two languages.

Course creators

Upload VTT next to lessons so your LMS shows captions and search works.

Archivists

Keep the words with the video, in a plain format that will open in twenty years.

  1. Copy the link

    Address bar or YouTube's Share button. Either.

  2. Paste it up top

    Pick a language track if there's more than one.

  3. Download .srt or .vtt

    Original timing, named after the video, ready for your player or editor.

Just want to read it?

Same link, but as a searchable transcript with clickable timestamps and Copy for AI.

Transcript downloader

Questions people ask

Short answers about subtitle files. If yours isn't here, the result page has a help link.

SRT or VTT, which one?

SRT for players and editing software. VTT for anything in a browser or a web video player. Same words either way.

Is the timing accurate?

The cues keep the video's original timing, untouched. Auto-generated tracks are as accurate as they were made.

Can I get auto-generated captions?

Yes. They're listed alongside manual tracks and labelled so you know which is which.

Which languages are available?

Every track the video carries. If YouTube offers auto-translation for a video, those appear too.

Do you download the video?

No. We never download or store the video itself. Transcripts are cached for a few days so repeat visits open instantly.

Is it free?

Yes. No account, no watermark.