YouTube Captions and Subtitles
Create accurate captions for any YouTube video — paste a link, export SRT or VTT.
99 languages, editable, timestamped. No download needed.
The link must be publicly accessible.
Make YouTube subtitles in three steps
Skip YouTube's shaky auto-captions — generate accurate SRT / VTT you control and upload yourself.
- Step 1
Paste the YouTube link
Drop the video URL in the box. No download or screen recording required.
- Step 2
We generate the captions
The audio is transcribed into punctuated, timestamped lines, with the language detected automatically.
- Step 3
Export SRT or VTT
Edit any line, then export an SRT or VTT file to upload as your own subtitles.
Captions that actually help
Accurate subtitles lift watch-time, accessibility, and reach — auto-captions often hurt all three.
Accurate SRT / VTT
Upload proper captions instead of YouTube's error-prone auto ones.
Watch-time & reach
Captions keep viewers watching and make videos searchable.
Accessibility
Give deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers an accurate caption track.
Multi-language
Transcribe in the original language, then translate for foreign subtitles.
Link-based
Paste the URL — no downloading the video yourself.
Edit before upload
Fix names and terms so your captions read clean.
Why not just use YouTube's auto-captions
YouTube's automatic captions miss punctuation, mangle names, and can't be exported cleanly. SlayScribe transcribes straight from the link with OpenAI Whisper, gives you editable, timestamped lines, and exports a proper SRT or VTT you upload as your own caption track — more accurate subtitles, better accessibility, and a real ranking and watch-time edge.
SRT and VTT, and where each one goes
- SRT structure
- Numbered cues with start → end times written as 00:00:01,000 — a comma before the milliseconds
- VTT structure
- A WEBVTT header and the same cues, but with a dot before the milliseconds: 00:00:01.000
- YouTube
- Studio accepts both formats in the subtitles editor of a video you own
- Video editors
- Premiere, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve and CapCut all import SRT; players read either
- Where the timings come from
- Whisper segments the speech into phrases, and each cue keeps that phrase's start and end
- Editing first
- Every line stays editable before export, so names and terms can be fixed once and exported clean
Frequently asked questions
How do I make subtitles for a YouTube video?
Paste the video link, let SlayScribe transcribe it, edit if needed, then export an SRT or VTT to upload as captions.
What's wrong with auto-captions?
Auto-captions lack punctuation, misread names, and are hard to export. A transcribed SRT or VTT track is more accurate and fully editable.
Which subtitle formats can I export?
SRT and VTT — both upload directly to YouTube and most platforms.
Can I make subtitles in other languages?
Yes — transcribe in 99 languages, and translate the text for foreign-language subtitles.
Do I have to download the video to caption it?
No — just paste the public link and the captions are made from it.
Are YouTube captions free to make here?
Yes — YouTube captions are free within a monthly minutes allowance; Pro adds long videos and unlimited uploads.
Long recordings and big files?
Go Pro to transcribe hours of audio and video, with more monthly minutes and unlimited uploads — accurate text in 99 languages.
See Pro plans