# YouTube Subtitle Downloader: SRT, ASS or VTT

Source: https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/features/youtube-subtitle-downloader/
Published: 2026-09-25
Updated: 2026-09-25
Author: Ema Zamboni, video editor (https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/about/)
Section: Features (https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/features/)

**In short:** B-ROLL downloads YouTube subtitles as separate .srt, .ass or .vtt files, or embeds them in the video file. A Subtitles dialog lists only the languages the video really has, separates official tracks from auto-generated captions, and pre-ticks the original language, the app language and English. Subtitles arrive in a separate pass, so a caption error never fails the video.

## What does the B-ROLL subtitle downloader do?

B-ROLL saves YouTube subtitles embedded in the file or as separate .srt, .ass or .vtt files. You set the **Subtitles** menu next to **Format**, tick languages in a dialog that lists the tracks the video really has, and the subtitles arrive with the download.

Subtitles are part of the regular download, not a separate tool or website. B-ROLL, a free Windows app for editors, asks yt-dlp for the chosen tracks after the video finishes, with pauses and retries against YouTube's rate limit, so a failed caption request never costs you the video. Auto-generated captions are included next to the creator's own tracks (yt-dlp's `--write-auto-subs` option, described in the [yt-dlp README](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp)). The menu choice is remembered between sessions, and the rest of the app is laid out in [B-ROLL features for video editors](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/features/).

> **Careful:** Download only footage you have the right to use: your own uploads, Creative Commons, licensed or permitted material.

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## What does each subtitle option in B-ROLL produce?

The B-ROLL **Subtitles** menu has five options: None, Embedded, SRT, ASS and VTT. None is the default; Embedded puts text tracks inside the video, and the other three write separate files named `Title.lang.ext`.

The table lists what each option gives you, what it usually suits in an edit, and where it stops.

| Menu option | What you get | Usually best for | Limits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| None | No subtitles (the default) | Footage you cut without dialogue | Not applicable |
| Embedded | Every chosen language muxed into the video as a switchable text track with a language tag: `mov_text` in MP4 and MOV, SRT in MKV; the loose files are deleted | Reference and review copies you play in a media player | Can fail for WEBM, which accepts only WebVTT; can be skipped when the title contains square brackets; in both cases the .srt files stay next to the video |
| SRT | `Title.lang.srt` next to the video | Subtitle tracks in an editor, timed transcripts | More than one file moves into a `Title - subtitles` folder |
| ASS | `Title.lang.ass` next to the video | Styled subtitles in players that render ASS | Same folder rule as SRT |
| VTT | `Title.lang.vtt` next to the video | Web players and HTML5 video | Same folder rule as SRT |

For editing, SRT is the safe pick: a plain-text file of cues and timings that editing apps usually import as a subtitle or caption track. The trade-offs between the three sidecar formats, and when a track inside the file beats a separate one, are laid out in [SRT vs VTT vs ASS: which subtitle format to keep](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/formats/srt-vs-vtt-vs-ass/).

For the import itself, follow [importing YouTube subtitles into DaVinci Resolve](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/guides/youtube-subtitles-in-davinci-resolve/) or [bringing YouTube subtitles into Premiere Pro](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/guides/youtube-subtitles-in-premiere-pro/). An SRT also works as a searchable, timed transcript for a [paper edit from a YouTube transcript](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/guides/youtube-transcript-paper-edit/).

## How do you choose the subtitle language in B-ROLL?

B-ROLL shows a **Subtitles** dialog before the first download of a batch, listing only the languages that video really has. Tracks sit in two groups, "OFFICIAL: uploaded by the creator" and "AUTO-GENERATED", so you can see which captions a person wrote.

The dialog marks the video's original language with "· original" and pre-ticks it together with the app's language and English. A search box (**Search language…**) filters long lists, **Clear** unticks everything, and **Only official subtitles** keeps the creator's tracks and drops the automatic ones. When a video has no tracks at all, B-ROLL says "No subtitles available for this video."

The language dialog asks once per batch. Ten links pasted together share one choice, so pick languages that most of those videos carry.

Auto-generated captions deserve a second look before they reach a timeline. As of September 2026, YouTube Help describes automatic captions as created by speech recognition technology ([Add subtitles and captions](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796)), so names, jargon and punctuation often need fixing. What to expect from them, and how to clean them up, is covered in [downloading YouTube auto-generated captions as SRT](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/guides/download-auto-generated-captions/).

## How do you add subtitles to a video you already downloaded?

Paste the same YouTube link again with the same settings and a **Subtitles** option other than None, then choose **Only subtitles** in the "Already downloaded" dialog. B-ROLL fetches the subtitles for the existing file and does not download the video again.

The "Already downloaded" dialog opens when B-ROLL finds a finished download of the same video with the same type, quality, format, subtitles and part, and the file still exists. It offers **Re-download**, **Only subtitles** and **Cancel**; **Only subtitles** appears only while subtitles are on. The typical case is adding a second language to an SRT download you already have.

1. Keep the Type, Quality, Format, **Subtitles** and part settings of the first download, so B-ROLL recognizes it.
2. Paste the link and press `Enter`; the "Already downloaded" dialog opens.
3. Click **Only subtitles**, then tick the languages you need in the **Subtitles** dialog; the files land next to the existing video.

Because the **Subtitles** value is part of those settings, a video first downloaded with None counts as a different download: B-ROLL queues it again, and yt-dlp skips a video file that already exists under the same name. When the dialog works but no file arrives, go through [YouTube subtitles not downloading: causes and fixes](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/troubleshooting/youtube-subtitles-not-downloading/).

## Do B-ROLL subtitles match a clip you downloaded?

No. Subtitles for a clip cover the whole video and are named after the video, so their timings count from 0:00 of the full source, not from your in point.

A clip saved as `Interview [02-10 to 02-38].mp4` gets `Interview.en.srt` with every caption of the full interview. The line spoken at 2:10 in the source sits at 2:10 in the subtitle file, so slide the subtitle track earlier by the start time in the clip's name and trim the cues outside the clip.

The default fast cut snaps to keyframes, so a clip can start slightly before the requested time and the offset is approximate. **Exact frame cut (slower, re-encodes)** in Advanced options starts the clip at the requested time, which makes the offset exact.

Embedded does not add subtitle tracks to clip files, so choose SRT when you download clips.

## Can you get subtitles for a whole playlist?

Yes, when the playlist's videos go into B-ROLL as one batch of video links. Paste the links together, or load them from a text file with **URL list (.txt)**, and B-ROLL asks for languages once, then fetches subtitles after each video finishes.

The **Subtitles** dialog of a batch lists the languages of its first video, and every video in the batch uses that choice. Each video gets its own `Title.lang.ext` files next to it, and a video with several subtitle files gets its own `Title - subtitles` folder, so no caption file ends up beside the wrong video.

Playlist and channel links open B-ROLL's "Download from channel" dialog instead, which saves the videos into a subfolder named after the channel. How that dialog picks videos, and how channel downloads are switched on in Advanced options, is explained in [the YouTube playlist and channel downloader](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/features/youtube-playlist-channel-downloader/).

## How to download YouTube subtitles with B-ROLL

1. **Pick the video format.** Set the type to Video and choose a Format: MP4, MKV, WEBM, ProRes or DNx.
2. **Set the Subtitles menu.** Open the Subtitles menu next to Format and choose Embedded, SRT, ASS or VTT. B-ROLL remembers the choice for the next session.
3. **Paste the YouTube link.** Paste one or more YouTube video links into the paste box and press Enter or Paste & Download.
4. **Tick the languages.** In the Subtitles dialog, tick the languages you need. The original language, the app language and English are pre-ticked, and Only official subtitles drops the auto-generated tracks.
5. **Collect the files.** When the video finishes, B-ROLL fetches the subtitles and saves them next to it as Title.lang.ext, or inside the video file when you chose Embedded.

## Frequently asked questions

Q: Why is the language I want missing?
A: Because the video has no track in that language on YouTube. B-ROLL's Subtitles dialog lists only the languages a video really carries: official tracks the creator uploaded and auto-generated captions. When neither exists in your language, there is nothing to fetch. A video with no tracks at all shows the message No subtitles available for this video.

Q: Why did embedded subtitles not appear in a WEBM file?
A: Because WebM accepts only WebVTT subtitle tracks, while B-ROLL's Embedded option muxes SRT tracks, so the embed step can fail for WEBM output. The .srt files then stay next to the video instead. For a subtitle track inside the file, set the Format to MP4, MKV, ProRes or DNx, or choose SRT and keep a separate file.

Q: Can a subtitle error stop the video download?
A: No. B-ROLL fetches subtitles after the video has finished, in a separate pass with pauses and retries against YouTube's rate limit, so a subtitle error never fails the video. If the subtitle files are missing afterwards, paste the same link with the same settings and choose Only subtitles to fetch them without downloading the video again.

Q: Where are the subtitle files saved?
A: Next to the video, in the same folder. B-ROLL names each file Title.lang.ext, for example Interview.en.srt. When one download produces more than one subtitle file, B-ROLL moves them into a folder called Title - subtitles. Embedded subtitles leave no loose files, because B-ROLL deletes the .srt files after muxing them into the video.

## Sources

1. [YouTube Help: Add subtitles and captions](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796)
2. [yt-dlp README on GitHub](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp)

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B-ROLL is a free, donation-supported desktop YouTube downloader for video editors: it downloads videos, clips, playlists and channels, converts them automatically into edit-ready ProRes or DNxHR (or saves MP4, MKV, WEBM or audio), and includes built-in trimming, subtitles and automatic creator credit files. Part of [B-ROLL Features for Video Editors](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/features/) on the B-ROLL website. Download B-ROLL, free for Windows 10 and 11 (macOS and Linux planned): https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/download/