In this article, we'll talk about easy ways to save closed captions from YouTube with the native YouTube functionality, a desktop solution, and a bunch of online services. Regardless of the language or format of the subtitles you want to download, these solutions will assist you.

How to Download YouTube Subtitles

Method 1: Copy YouTube Subtitles Right on YouTube

You can easily download subtitles from a YouTube video right on the platform with no third-party apps required.

Here's how you can do so:

Open the YouTube video you want to save subtitles from.
Check the video to make sure it has closed captions or subtitles added by pressing the CC button. Not all YouTube videos have subtitles in them.

Head over to Settings and click Subtitles/CC to check which languages are available. Some videos have more than one language.

Find the three dots below the video next to Save to open more options.
Choose Show Transcript.

You'll see an interactive transcript next to the video on the right side of the window.

6. Find the dropdown menu at the bottom of the transcript and choose the language of the subtitles.

7. Tap the three dots at the top of the transcript to turn on or off the timestamps in the transcript.

Timestamps are helpful when you need to match the video piece to the specific caption with no need to watch the entire video.

8. After you select the language you want to save your subtitles in and make sure the timestamps match the video parts, copy the text you need and paste it into any text editor of your choice.

That's it!

Method 2: Use 4K Video Downloader to Save YouTube Subtitles

As an alternative to the previous method, you can use the 4K Video Downloader desktop application. The app is free to use, and, apart from the subtitles download, you can save YouTube videos, audio, entire playlists and channels from YouTube, TikTok, Bilibili, Facebook, SoundCloud, Rumble, and a plethora of other sites.

Let’s see how you can download YouTube subtitles in the SRT format with 4K Video Downloader.

Spoiler: It’s a lot easier to save subs with this tool than on YouTube itself!

1. Download and install the 4K Video Downloader application. It's available for macOS, Windows and Linux.

2. Copy the video link from the browser.

3. Set up the subtitles type in Preferences: you can have the separated SRT file or embedded subtitles. If you would like to embed the subtitles in video, go to Preferences and check the option Embed the subtitles in video if possible.

4. Press Paste Link button in the 4K Video Downloader application.

5. Choose the quality of video, specify that you want to download subtitles and select a language.

6. Click Download.

7. Then it remains only to wait until the downloading is completed and play the downloaded video.

That’s it!

Online Solutions to Download YouTube Subtitles

Apart from 4K Video Downloader (which is desktop software and definitely our choice!), you can use these online services to save YouTube subs and caption texts. Here are to name a few:

DownSub

This is a handy online tool with an easy interface that allows you to save YouTube subtitles hassle-free. With DownSub, you can save YouTube closed captions in various formats, such as STR and TXT.

VidPaw Subtitle Downloader

Yet another easy-to-use tool with the exact functionality you need to save YouTube closed captions in various formats and languages. Apart from subtitles, you can also download YouTube single videos and playlists.

Savesubs

Savesubs is a free online solution that enables you to download YouTube closed captions from videos as well as save video content from multiple websites apart from YouTube and even share subtitles.

YouSubtitles

This solution is one of the most popular YouTube subtitles downloaders on the market. With this service, you can save closed captions from YouTube in SRT.