YouTube transcript download
Download a YouTube transcript
Paste a public YouTube link and save the caption track as a file. TXT and Markdown are for reading and notes. SRT and VTT are for a player or editor. This is a downloader for captions YouTube already published, not a new recording of the audio.
How to download a YouTube transcript
Paste the link
Watch, Shorts, youtu.be, or the 11-character video id. The transcript opens beside the player.
Check the lines
Search a phrase, trim the intro, or switch caption language before you save. The file matches what you see.
Save the file
Download TXT, Markdown, JSON, SRT, or VTT. The browser saves it. We do not keep a copy.
What a transcript download is for
A file you can keep
Copy-to-clipboard disappears. A download sits in your notes, a repo, or an editor project.
Pick the format
Plain TXT for reading. Markdown when you want timestamp links. SRT or VTT when a player needs cues.
Same public captions
The file is YouTube’s caption track. Auto-captions can mis-hear names; edit on the page, then download.
No account
The downloader does not ask you to sign up or pay per minute.
Downloads people actually need
Notes archive
Download TXT from a lecture and drop it next to the slides.
Article quotes
Download Markdown so each quote still links to the moment in the video.
Editor sidecar
Download SRT when the transcript has to play as subtitles, not sit in a doc.
Limits
No public captions means nothing to download. Private, age-restricted, and live-only videos often fail. We do not invent a transcript from the audio on this page.
FAQ
Is this a YouTube transcript downloader?
Yes. Paste a public link and save TXT, Markdown, JSON, SRT, or VTT. No account.
TXT or SRT?
TXT or Markdown to read and quote. SRT or VTT if the next step is a player or editor. Both come from the same cues.
Where does the file go?
Your browser downloads it. YouTubeForge does not store the transcript on a server for you.
Can I download just part of the video?
Trim the lines on the result page first. The download uses the cues you kept.
What if the video has no captions?
There is no file to save. YouTube never published a track, so we cannot invent one.