How to download videos from YouTube with subtitles?

How do I download videos from YouTube with subtitles / captions?

I'd tried by using youtube-dl, with --write-srt --str-lang flags but I always get:

WARNING: video has no closed captions.

Jack

Posted 2012-10-07T20:09:09.500

Reputation: 963

Quite interesting is to check subtitles with --list-subs. – pevik – 2016-02-20T12:54:47.503

1if you're on a LTS distribution, ensure you use an uo-to-date version of youtube-dl, the TLS apt package on ubuntu:14.04 for example, does not work with generated closed captions, but that current pip release version does (sudo pip install -U youtube-dl) – ThorSummoner – 2016-04-24T06:43:44.317

https://www.4kdownload.com/howto/howto-download-youtube-subtitles I have tested this method, it's work! – Saksith Jaksri – 2017-08-16T10:19:01.490

Well, does the video have closed captions? I cannot reproduce this issue for videos that have the CC sign available. Which video are you trying to download? Does it work with this one?

– slhck – 2012-10-07T20:31:51.673

Yes. Have the CC sign. For video that you have posted it worked fine. But for all that I had tried before it does not work, e.g for this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHy9_RQbrnQ I get: WARNING: video has no closed captions unlike as you can see into youtube page. `

– Jack – 2012-10-08T00:29:46.467

See exaclty what I have tried: python youtube-dl --write-srt --srt-lang en http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHy9_RQbrnQ [youtube] Setting language [youtube] RHy9_RQbrnQ: Downloading video webpage [youtube] RHy9_RQbrnQ: Downloading video info webpage [youtube] RHy9_RQbrnQ: Extracting video information [youtube] RHy9_RQbrnQ: Downloading video subtitles WARNING: video has no closed captions – Jack – 2012-10-08T00:31:51.287

Answers

Make sure the video you're trying to download has actual subtitles uploaded from the owner.

You can then use, for example:

youtube-dl --write-srt --sub-lang en 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHy9_RQbrnQ'

There is also an option to download the automatically generated subtitle files, using --write-auto-sub.

See the youtube-dl documentation.

slhck

Posted 2012-10-07T20:09:09.500

Reputation: 182 472

2@Jack: youtube-dl has since added an option "--write-auto-sub" (at least in version 2014.09.22.1). I didn't try it, but that may be what you were looking for. – Tim Landscheidt – 2014-11-11T01:11:06.857

This doesn't work as of August 2015, please fix. – George Chalhoub – 2015-08-02T08:17:18.710

1This worked for me just now with youtube-dl version 2015.08.16.1. – Jeff Allen – 2015-11-02T06:03:07.950

2Is there no way to download the one translated by youtube? – Jack – 2013-10-27T21:11:58.543

Not that I'm aware of, no. There appear to be some programs for downloading subtitles (like Google2SRT mentioned in the other answers), but those are all for the "real" closed captions. – slhck – 2013-10-27T22:01:08.900

If you want a free, easy-to-use program with a simple GUI, there's Google 2 SRT.

It detects all the available languages and converts to SRT, SSA or SUB.

enter image description here

That Brazilian Guy

Posted 2012-10-07T20:09:09.500

Reputation: 5 880

It doesn't convert properly check with this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJGiS83eQLk

– csharpwinphonexaml – 2015-12-18T13:50:25.593