How to Download Captions from YouTube with Ease

Videos are a great way to share information, stories, and entertainment, but sometimes understanding every word can be tricky. Captions make videos more accessible and help with better comprehension and engagement. Whether you're a content creator or a viewer, knowing how to download captions from YouTube ensures you can access and utilize them anytime. In this article, we'll show you simple steps to get captions quickly and easily.

Why download captions from YouTube

There are various ways to download subtitles on YouTube, each with its unique features that can enhance your content's accessibility and usability. Here are five key use cases for why you might want to download captions.

1. Improved accessibility for different audiences
2. Downloading captions ensures that your videos are accessible to a wider audience, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing. This guarantees that everyone can comprehend and enjoy your content despite their ability to hear the audio.
3. Translation and multilingual support
4. Captions can be translated into various languages to reach an international audience. By downloading and translating captions, you can interact with viewers from different linguistic backgrounds, thereby increasing your content's engagement.
5. Content repurposing
6. You can repurpose the downloaded captions for various uses, such as blog posts, social media updates, or transcripts. This helps maximize the value of your content and reach audiences on different platforms.
7. Enhanced SEO
8. Adding captions to your videos can improve your search engine optimization. Search engines can index the text, making your content more discoverable for people searching for related topics.
9. Better engagement and retention

Captions can help keep viewers engaged, especially in noisy environments where they might not be able to hear the audio. They also help retain viewers by providing a clearer understanding of the content.

How to download captions from YouTube video

Downloading subtitles from YouTube can be done easily by following a few simple steps. Here’s a detailed guide to help you copy and paste captions directly from YouTube without using third-party tools.

Step
1. Open the YouTube video
2. First, navigate to YouTube and find a video with a caption. Make sure that the video has captions available. To check the subtitles, click on the settings option in the video.
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Step
4. Access the transcript
5. Once you have the video open, click three dots next to the like and dislike buttons beneath the video and select “Open transcript.” This action will display the transcript of the video on the right side of the screen. The transcript will show all the captions in text form, making it easy for you to access the full content.
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Step
7. Adjust transcript settings
8. In the transcript window, you will see timestamps next to each line of text. If you don’t need these timestamps, click on the three dots in the transcript and select “Toggle timestamps” to hide them. This makes copying the text easier and results in a cleaner format. This option is not available on Android.
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Step
10. Copy the captions
11. Now click and drag to highlight the entire transcript text. Once the text is highlighted, right-click and choose “Copy” or utilize the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+C on Windows, Command+C on Mac).
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Step
13. Paste the Captions

Finally, open a text editor or word processing program where you want to save the captions. Right-click and select either “Paste” or “Paste without formatting,” depending on your needs. You can also use keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+V on Windows and Command+V on Mac) to paste the copied captions. Now, you have extracted captions from YouTube videos, and they are ready for use.



How to download subtitles to YouTube Studio

Downloading CC from YouTube Studio is a straightforward process that doesn't require third-party tools. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you access and copy subtitles directly from YouTube Studio.

Step
1. Access YouTube Studio
2. First, sign in to your YouTube account and navigate to YouTube Studio. You can access YouTube Studio by clicking on your profile picture at the top right corner of the YouTube homepage and selecting “YouTube Studio.”
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Step
4. Select your video
5. In YouTube Studio, go to the “Content” section on the left-hand sidebar. This will display all the videos you have uploaded to your channel. Search for the video you want to download subtitles from and click on its title to open the video details page.
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Step
7. Open the subtitles editor
8. Now go to the "Subtitles" section from the left sidebar and click on it. This will take you to the subtitles editor, where you can see all the subtitle tracks associated with your video. Add the desired language you want to download subtitles.
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Step
10. Download and save the subtitles

Click on the three dots next to the subtitles and select the download option. You can choose any format, but "SRT" is highly recommended because other formats may not be compatible with your needs. After selecting the format, choose your preferred download location, rename the file, and click "Save." Your subtitles are now downloaded and ready to use.



How to download YouTube subtitles with video

Downloading YouTube videos with subtitles directly from YouTube is a feasible feature for YouTube Premium subscribers. This method ensures that both the video and its subtitles are saved together, making it convenient for offline viewing. Here's how you can do it:

Step
1. Subscribe to YouTube Premium
2. Ensure you have an active YouTube Premium subscription. This enables you to download videos for offline viewing, including subtitles.
3. Note: Many downloaders are available, but they are not recommended because YouTube doesn't allow unauthorized downloads of its content.
Step
4. Find and download the video
5. Open the YouTube app, search for the video you want, and click the download button (downward-facing arrow) below the video player. Choose your preferred video quality.
Step
6. Enable subtitles
7. Before downloading, make sure subtitles are enabled by tapping the “CC” or “Setting” option on the video player.
Step
8. Access offline content

After downloading, select “Downloads” to find your saved videos. The videos will have subtitles embedded and be ready for offline viewing.



Create your subtitles for YouTube videos: CapCut desktop editor

When creating videos for your YouTube channel and looking to generate captions, the CapCut desktop video editor emerges as a powerful and user-friendly tool. This advanced editor offers sophisticated subtitle features, allowing users to efficiently add and customize captions, thereby enhancing the accessibility and engagement of their video content.



How to generate captions for YouTube videos using CapCut

Generating captions for YouTube videos using CapCut is simple and efficient. First, download and install the CapCut desktop video editor by clicking the button below. After this, install it and create an account.

Step
1. Upload a video
2. To begin generating the subtitles, start by creating a new project. Then, upload the video and drop it in the timeline.
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Step
4. Generate auto captions
5. To generate accurate subtitles, click on "Text" in the top left pane. You will see various options; click on "Auto caption." Select the language used in media and then click "Generate." This will display the captions on the video timeline.
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Step
7. Export and share

After you’ve done it, export the video. CapCut allows you to download the caption files separately, which you can use for other purposes. After exporting, you can directly share your captioned video to YouTube or any other platform of your choice.



Key features

• Save time with auto captions
• Automatically generate captions for your videos, significantly reducing the time spent on manual transcription. Allows you to focus on creating engaging content rather than on tedious captioning tasks.
• Maintains captions accuracy
• Ensures high accuracy in caption generation, minimizing errors and improving viewer comprehension. Makes the content accessible to the audience, embellishing the overall viewing experience.
• Customize the style of subtitles
• You can add fun text effects to the video. It offers extensive customization options, permitting users to style subtitles to match the video's aesthetic. This helps maintain a consistent brand identity over all the videos.
• Diverse languages support
• Support various languages, making it easy to create subtitles for a global audience. This expands the user’s reach, allowing them to connect with viewers from different linguistic backgrounds.
• Easily upload and export caption files

Facilitates the easy upload of caption files, streamlining the subtitle integration process. This flexibility ensures quickly and efficiently adding accurate captions to videos. You can also export captions in popular formats.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when it comes to downloading captions from YouTube, it is a straightforward process that allows you to save and use transcripts for various purposes, such as creating accessible content or repurposing video information. By utilizing YouTube's built-in features, you can easily extract, convert, and download subtitles in just a few steps. However, to enhance your video projects even further, consider using the CapCut desktop video editor. It not only offers advanced video editing tools but also allows you to generate and customize subtitles, making your videos more engaging and professional.

FAQs

1. Is there a way to extract subtitles from YouTube directly?
2. Yes, there are several ways to extract subtitles from YouTube directly. YouTube provides a built-in feature to view and copy the transcript of any video with captions enabled. Additionally, you can extract captions from your video through YouTube Studio in the desired format. Moreover, using the CapCut desktop video editor, you can generate the captions of any video easily.
3. How do I convert YouTube CC to text?
4. To convert YouTube closed captions (CC) to text, you can use YouTube's transcript feature. Simply press on the three dots below the video, select "Open transcript," and then manually copy the transcript to a text file without needing any additional software. For professional editing and formatting, you can import the caption file into the CapCut desktop video editor, which offers advanced text and subtitle editing features.
5. How to download YouTube subtitles as an SRT file?
6. You can use YouTube Studio to download YouTube subtitles as an SRT file. First, navigate to YouTube Studio and select the video you want to download subtitles for. Click on "Subtitles" in the left-hand menu, find the subtitles you want to download, and select the three dots next to them. Choose "Download" and select the SRT format. Select the location to save this subtitle file on your device. Additionally, you can generate captions for any video in the CapCut desktop video editor and export the caption file in SRT or other popular formats.