How to Download YouTube Shorts with Subtitles or Captions
5/25/2025
|Team CapsAI

Captions and subtitles make YouTube Shorts accessible to a wider audience and perfect for repurposing in silent autoplay environments. Here’s how to grab both the video and its captions in 2025 - no guesswork required.
1. Use 4K Video Downloader (GUI Method)
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Link: https://www.4kdownload.com/products/product-videodownloader
- Install & Open
Download and install 4K Video Downloader, then launch the app. - Enable Subtitles Download
- Go to Preferences → Subtitles.
- Tick “Download Subtitles” and choose your language (or “Auto” to fetch whatever’s available).
- Paste the Shorts URL
Click Paste Link, then wait for it to parse the video. - Select Format & Quality
Choose your desired resolution (up to 8K) and format (MP4). - Start Download
Hit Download. The app will save both video and an.srt
subtitle file, or embed captions directly into the container if you prefer.
2. SnapDownloader (Built-In Caption Support)
Platform: Windows, macOS
Link: https://snapdownloader.com/
- Install & Launch
Get the installer from the website and open SnapDownloader. - Configure Captions
- Click the gear ⚙️ icon next to the URL field.
- Under “Download Options”, toggle “Include Subtitles” and select language.
- Paste & Download
Paste your Shorts link, choose resolution, then click Download. Subtitles will be saved as.srt
alongside the video.
3. yt-dlp (Command-Line Power User)
Platform: Cross-Platform CLI
Link & Docs: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp
- Install
pip install yt-dlp
- Prepare & Run
Use the following command to download both video and captions (auto-generated or manually uploaded):
yt-dlp https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SHORTS_ID \
--write-auto-sub \
--write-sub \
--sub-lang "en,auto" \
-f bestvideo+bestaudio \
--merge-output-format mp4
--write-sub
downloads creator-provided captions.--write-auto-sub
fetches YouTube’s auto-generated captions.--sub-lang
chooses languages (comma-separated).
- Output
The command producesSHORTS_ID.mp4
andSHORTS_ID.en.srt
(or.vtt
) in your current folder.
4. Web-Based Downloaders with Caption Options
While most browser tools focus on video-only, a few services now support subtitle extraction:
- DownSub – Paste your Shorts URL and click Download to get an SRT file. Then use any video downloader (like OffMP4) to grab the MP4.
- KeepSubs – Similar workflow: fetch subtitles first, then download the video via SaveFrom.net or OffMP4.
Tips & Best Practices
- Check Caption Availability: Not all Shorts have manually uploaded captions. Auto-generated subtitles may be less accurate but better than none.
- Embed vs. External: If you need accessibility compliance, keep subtitles external (
.srt
). For social media reposts, embedding burns captions into the video. Tools like HandBrake can hard-burn.srt
files if needed. - Language Selection: Creators sometimes offer multiple subtitle tracks; choose the one that best fits your audience under the downloader’s language settings.
- Subtitle Formats:
.srt
is widely supported;.vtt
works too, especially in web players.
Captions and subtitles make YouTube Shorts accessible to a wider audience and perfect for repurposing in silent autoplay environments. Here’s how to grab both the video and its captions in 2025 - no guesswork required.
1. Use 4K Video Downloader (GUI Method)
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Link: https://www.4kdownload.com/products/product-videodownloader
- Install & Open
Download and install 4K Video Downloader, then launch the app. - Enable Subtitles Download
- Go to Preferences → Subtitles.
- Tick “Download Subtitles” and choose your language (or “Auto” to fetch whatever’s available).
- Paste the Shorts URL
Click Paste Link, then wait for it to parse the video. - Select Format & Quality
Choose your desired resolution (up to 8K) and format (MP4). - Start Download
Hit Download. The app will save both video and an.srt
subtitle file, or embed captions directly into the container if you prefer.
2. SnapDownloader (Built-In Caption Support)
Platform: Windows, macOS
Link: https://snapdownloader.com/
- Install & Launch
Get the installer from the website and open SnapDownloader. - Configure Captions
- Click the gear ⚙️ icon next to the URL field.
- Under “Download Options”, toggle “Include Subtitles” and select language.
- Paste & Download
Paste your Shorts link, choose resolution, then click Download. Subtitles will be saved as.srt
alongside the video.
3. yt-dlp (Command-Line Power User)
Platform: Cross-Platform CLI
Link & Docs: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp
- Install
pip install yt-dlp
- Prepare & Run
Use the following command to download both video and captions (auto-generated or manually uploaded):
yt-dlp https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SHORTS_ID \
--write-auto-sub \
--write-sub \
--sub-lang "en,auto" \
-f bestvideo+bestaudio \
--merge-output-format mp4
--write-sub
downloads creator-provided captions.--write-auto-sub
fetches YouTube’s auto-generated captions.--sub-lang
chooses languages (comma-separated).
- Output
The command producesSHORTS_ID.mp4
andSHORTS_ID.en.srt
(or.vtt
) in your current folder.
4. Web-Based Downloaders with Caption Options
While most browser tools focus on video-only, a few services now support subtitle extraction:
- DownSub – Paste your Shorts URL and click Download to get an SRT file. Then use any video downloader (like OffMP4) to grab the MP4.
- KeepSubs – Similar workflow: fetch subtitles first, then download the video via SaveFrom.net or OffMP4.
Tips & Best Practices
- Check Caption Availability: Not all Shorts have manually uploaded captions. Auto-generated subtitles may be less accurate but better than none.
- Embed vs. External: If you need accessibility compliance, keep subtitles external (
.srt
). For social media reposts, embedding burns captions into the video. Tools like HandBrake can hard-burn.srt
files if needed. - Language Selection: Creators sometimes offer multiple subtitle tracks; choose the one that best fits your audience under the downloader’s language settings.
- Subtitle Formats:
.srt
is widely supported;.vtt
works too, especially in web players.