How to export subtitles from CapCut

CapCut will happily generate captions for your video — and then give you no way to export them as a subtitle file. There's no SRT export in the free app, and burning the captions into the video is the only built-in way out. But the captions aren't locked away: every CapCut project stores them, with exact timing, in a file called draft_content.json, and the CapCut to SRT converter reads that file directly. This guide shows you where to find it, how to convert it, and what to expect.

Why CapCut has no subtitle export

CapCut treats captions as graphics on the timeline, not as a subtitle track — they're designed to be styled, animated, and rendered into the video. That's great for TikTok and Reels, and useless the moment you need the same subtitles as a file: for YouTube uploads, for a client, for translation, or to reuse in Premiere or Resolve. The data is all there in the project draft; CapCut just doesn't offer the door. We built the door.

Step 1: Find your project's draft_content.json

This works with CapCut desktop (Windows and Mac) and JianYing, the Chinese edition. Every project lives in its own folder containing a draft_content.json:

• Windows: C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\CapCut\User Data\Projects\com.lveditor.draft\
• Mac: ~/Movies/CapCut/User Data/Projects/com.lveditor.draft/

Inside that location you'll see one folder per project, usually with generated names rather than your project title. Sort the folders by date modified — the top one is almost certainly the project you just worked on. Open it and you'll find draft_content.json.

Two tips: if you can't see the AppData folder on Windows, enable hidden items in Explorer's View menu. And it's fine to copy the file to your desktop first — the converter only reads it, but working from a copy feels safer and makes it easier to find in the upload dialog.

Step 2: Convert it

Drop draft_content.json on the CapCut to SRT converter. The converter finds the text tracks in the draft, joins every caption to its timing (CapCut stores it in microseconds; SRT wants milliseconds — handled), unwraps the styled text to its plain words, and writes a clean numbered SRT. Auto-captions and manually typed text both come through. Everything else in the draft — video, audio, effects, stickers — is ignored.

Prefer a different output? The same draft converts to WebVTT for web players or a Word document for review and translation.

What to expect with file sizes

A CapCut draft describes your entire project, not just the captions — so the file can be surprisingly large. A short edit is usually a few hundred KB; a long or effect-heavy project can run to several MB even though the captions inside are tiny. The free tier covers drafts up to 2 MB; the $7 pack and Pro cover up to 15 MB; very large drafts convert on Studio. If your draft is unexpectedly huge, finishing or duplicating the project with unused clips removed in CapCut usually shrinks it substantially.

The mobile-app catch

CapCut mobile keeps drafts on the phone (or in CapCut's cloud), where you can't reach the JSON directly. The workaround: open the same project in CapCut desktop — sign in with the same account and use cloud sync — and grab draft_content.json from the desktop project folder. If a project only exists on mobile and can't sync, there's currently no clean way to extract its captions as a file.

FAQ

Can CapCut export SRT subtitles directly? No — CapCut (including Pro) has no subtitle-file export. Captions can only be rendered into the video. Converting the project's draft_content.json is the way to get them out as an SRT.

Where is draft_content.json? In your project's folder under CapCut's data directory: on Windows, AppData\Local\CapCut\User Data\Projects\com.lveditor.draft; on Mac, ~/Movies/CapCut/User Data/Projects/com.lveditor.draft. One folder per project — sort by date modified to find yours.

Do auto-captions convert, or only typed text? Both — auto-generated captions and manual text live in the same text tracks in the draft, and both convert with exact timing.

Does the styling (fonts, colors, animations) come through? No — SRT is a plain-text subtitle format, so the styling stays in CapCut. Text and timing convert exactly; the look is CapCut's to keep.

Does this work for JianYing (剪映)? Yes — JianYing uses the same draft format, and its draft_content.json files convert the same way.

My draft_content.json is over the size limit — why is it so big? Because it describes your whole edit, not just captions. Long projects, many clips, and heavy effects all grow the file. Paid tiers cover up to 15 MB; on CapCut's side, removing unused media from the project before grabbing the draft usually shrinks it a lot.

Can I convert captions from CapCut mobile? Only by syncing the project to CapCut desktop first and taking draft_content.json from the desktop project folder — mobile drafts aren't directly accessible on the phone.