If you already have the video, use --skip-download --write-subs to pull only the caption files without re-downloading the entire video. Language and Format Control
Note that embedding auto-generated subtitles can sometimes require specific format handling, often easiest with the MP4 container if using standard players. Troubleshooting Common Issues How to download only subtitles of videos using youtube-dl yt-dlp download subtitles
Before downloading, run yt-dlp --list-subs [URL] to see every available language and format (VTT, TTML, etc.). If you already have the video, use --skip-download
Managing multiple languages or specific file types like .srt requires additional modifiers. Command Flag --sub-langs "LANG" --sub-langs "en,es" All Languages --sub-langs "all" --write-subs --sub-langs "all" Convert to SRT --convert-subs FORMAT --convert-subs srt Regex Matching Match partial codes --sub-langs "en.*" (Matches en, en-US, etc.) Embedding Subtitles Directly into Videos Managing multiple languages or specific file types like