It’s easy to download YouTube captions or subtitles from the transcript. Getting a subtitles download is not as intimidating as it may seem at first.

Photo by Veri Ivanova on Unsplash How to download YouTube subtitles

Subtitles require timestamps to align the text correctly with the timing of the video.

Transcripts might contain timestamps but often have the option of toggling them on or off in the video platform.

Subtitles can be styled to include bolded or italic text or different font and background colors, depending on the file type of the subtitles.

Transcripts are stored and displayed as plain text information.

Subtitles are integrated into the video either as closed or open subtitles.

Transcripts are separate from the video, often appearing on the side or below a video player.

Subtitles can be in the same language of the video or translated into multiple languages.

Transcripts only capture the language in the video.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash Differences between transcripts and subtitles

And both are text files that can be updated in a text editor. Both can be used to follow along with the video without relying on hearing the speech itself. Transcription is writing down text that captures all of the speech in a video. Creating transcripts and subtitles starts with transcription.

What are transcripts and how are they different from subtitles and how can they be used? Let’s start with what they have in common, discuss the differences, and see how easy it is to convert YouTube captions to text files.

Youtube video subtitle extractor