yt-dlp --write-subs --skip-download "URL" Useful when you already have the video and just need the text. 2. Handling Auto-Generated Captions
yt-dlp --list-subs "URL" Always run this first to see what language codes (e.g., en , es , fr-CA ) are available for that specific video. yt-dlp download with subtitles
yt-dlp --convert-subs srt "URL" Most sites use .vtt or .json . This command uses FFmpeg to convert them into the more universally compatible .srt format. 4. Recommended "All-in-One" Command yt-dlp --convert-subs srt "URL" Most sites use
To get started, you need to decide if you want the subtitles as a separate sidecar file (e.g., .srt ) or embedded directly into the video file itself. Recommended "All-in-One" Command To get started, you need
For a high-quality archive where you want English subtitles (manual or auto) embedded into a standard MP4 file, use this configuration: