Subtitles → SRT

YouTube subtitles to SRT

To turn YouTube subtitles to SRT, paste a video link below, keep the timecodes on, and export. You get a clean, timed .srt file for editors, re-uploads or your own captions. VTT and TXT too. Free, no sign-in.

Works on any video with captions · or add the Chrome extension for one-click transcripts on every video.

What an SRT file is

An SRT (SubRip) file is the simplest timed subtitle format: a plain-text list where each line of dialogue carries a number, a start and end time, and the words. Players and editors read those times and show each line at the right moment. It’s the format most video tools expect when you hand them subtitles, which is why “to SRT” is usually what people mean by getting subtitles out of a video.

YouTube shows captions in the player but doesn’t hand you the .srt directly. Pulling one out means reading the caption track and writing it back in SRT’s timed layout — the same words you’d see on screen, saved as a file you can load anywhere. For the background on where that track comes from, the YouTube transcript overview covers it.

Get the SRT file

It’s one step and needs no install. Copy the video URL, paste it into the box above, and export:

1. Paste the link into the tool above — the caption track is read in seconds.
2. Keep timecodes on — an SRT needs the timing of every line.
3. Export as SRT from the menu to download a ready .srt file.

There’s no account and no cap on how many you make. If you’d rather have the plain words without timings, the same tool exports TXT and Markdown, and YouTube captions to text covers that side.

Paste a link, keep the times on, export. A clean .srt in seconds.

SRT vs VTT — which to pick

You’ll see both offered, and they do nearly the same job:

• SRT — the most widely supported format. If you’re unsure what a tool wants, pick it; almost everything reads it.
• VTT (WebVTT) — the web standard, used by HTML5 video and some platforms. Same timed lines, with room for styling.

If you’re editing video or re-uploading captions, the first is the safe default. If you’re putting subtitles on a web page, VTT is the native fit. The tool exports either, so you’re not locked in.

Edit and re-time the file

Because an SRT is plain text, you can open it in any editor and change it by hand — fix a typo, merge two short lines, or nudge a timing that lands early. Each block is just a number, the timecodes, and the text, so there’s nothing to learn. This matters most with auto-generated captions, which come without punctuation: export the SRT, add full stops and fix names, and you’ve got subtitles worth publishing. If you only care about the moments, not a full file, a transcript with timestamps gives you the times in a lighter form. Need the file in another format? The free subtitle converters turn an SRT into VTT or plain text in your browser.

For editors and re-uploads

An SRT slots straight into the work. Drop it into a video editor — Premiere, DaVinci, CapCut and the rest all import it — to burn captions onto a clip. Upload it to your own YouTube video as a caption track instead of retyping the words. Hand it to a translator, or run it through a subtitle tool to localise a film. Because the timings travel with the file, the subtitles stay in sync wherever it lands. For getting the track out in the first place, extracting the subtitles and downloading them walk through it.

Subtitles in other languages

The SRT comes out in the video’s own language by default. Need a different one? Pick it from the translate menu before you export, and the file is written in that language — handy for adding translated captions to a clip or reading a foreign-language video as a file. It runs on the captions, so translating stays free.

A common job is two files at once: export the original-language SRT, then switch the menu and export a translated one. Now you have matching subtitles for the same video — the original for accuracy, the translation for reach — both timed to the exact same moments, so they stay in sync when you load either. Drop both into an editor and you can offer a clip in two languages without re-timing a single line. Because each export is just plain text, you can open them side by side and fix any line by hand before it ships.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert YouTube subtitles to SRT?

Paste the video link into the tool above, leave the timecodes on, and choose SRT from the export menu. You get a clean, timed .srt file in seconds — free, no sign-in.

What is the difference between SRT and VTT?

Both are timed subtitle files. SRT is the most widely supported, used by most editors and players. VTT (WebVTT) is the web standard with extra styling options. The tool exports either one.

Can I get an SRT from auto-generated subtitles?

Yes, but auto-captions arrive without punctuation. Export the SRT, then tidy the lines in a text editor before you use them for anything public.

Does the SRT keep the original timings?

Yes. Each line keeps the exact start and end time from the video, so the subtitles stay in sync when you load the file.