Download YouTube Comments as JSON/CSV (Complete Guide)

To download YouTube comments as JSON or CSV, use a free online extractor tool like NoteLM.ai—paste the video URL, select your export format, and download the complete comment data including usernames, timestamps, and likes. For developers, the YouTube Data API provides programmatic access with full control over data structure.

Key Takeaways

• Download all YouTube comments in JSON, CSV, or Excel format for free
• JSON format is ideal for developers and data analysis tools
• CSV format works perfectly with Excel and Google Sheets
• Include metadata: usernames, timestamps, likes, reply counts
• Three methods: online tools (fastest), extensions, and YouTube API
• No coding required for basic exports

Understanding Comment File Formats

JSON Format Explained

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a structured data format that preserves hierarchical relationships, making it perfect for comments with replies.

JSON structure example:

{
  "video": {
    "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "title": "Video Title Here",
    "url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  },
  "metadata": {
    "total_comments": 1523,
    "exported_at": "2026-01-07T10:30:00Z",
    "export_tool": "NoteLM Comment Extractor"
  },
  "comments": [
    {
      "id": "UgyxQmZp123",
      "author": "@TechReviewer",
      "author_channel_id": "UC1234567890",
      "text": "Great video! Very helpful.",
      "likes": 42,
      "published_at": "2026-01-05T15:20:00Z",
      "updated_at": "2026-01-05T15:20:00Z",
      "reply_count": 3,
      "replies": [
        {
          "id": "UgyxQmZp123-reply1",
          "author": "@VideoCreator",
          "text": "Thanks for watching!",
          "likes": 12,
          "published_at": "2026-01-05T16:00:00Z"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

JSON advantages:

• Preserves nested reply threads
• Includes all metadata fields
• Easy to process with programming languages
• Standard format for APIs

CSV Format Explained

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) creates a flat table structure, ideal for spreadsheet analysis.

CSV structure example:

comment_id,author,text,likes,published_at,is_reply,parent_id
UgyxQmZp123,@TechReviewer,"Great video! Very helpful.",42,2026-01-05T15:20:00Z,FALSE,
UgyxQmZp123-reply1,@VideoCreator,"Thanks for watching!",12,2026-01-05T16:00:00Z,TRUE,UgyxQmZp123

CSV advantages:

• Opens directly in Excel/Google Sheets
• Easy to filter and sort
• Smaller file size
• Simple to understand

Format Comparison

Method 1: Online Comment Download Tools

Online tools provide the fastest way to download comments without any setup.

Step-by-Step: Using NoteLM.ai

• Click "Download JSON" for JSON format
• Click "Download CSV" for spreadsheet format
• Click "Download Excel" for .xlsx format

Online Tool Comparison

Best Practices for Online Tools

• Verify video accessibility: Ensure the video is public
• Check comment count first: Large videos take longer
• Use during off-peak hours: Faster processing when servers less busy
• Download immediately: Some tools don't store files long

Method 2: Browser Extensions

Browser extensions add download functionality directly to YouTube.

Popular Chrome Extensions

YouTube Comment Downloader:

• One-click export
• JSON and CSV support
• Includes reply threads
• Works on any YouTube video

Export Comments:

• Direct download buttons
• Multiple format options
• Customizable fields
• Batch processing capability

Installing and Using Extensions

Extension Pros and Cons

Advantages:

• No need to copy/paste URLs
• Faster for frequent downloads
• Works offline for processing
• Often more reliable for large videos

Disadvantages:

• Requires installation
• Chrome-only (usually)
• May need permissions
• Updates may break functionality

Method 3: YouTube Data API (Developers)

The YouTube Data API offers complete control for developers building automated systems.

API Setup Requirements

1. 1.Google Cloud Console account
2. 2.API key or OAuth credentials
3. 3.YouTube Data API v3 enabled
4. 4.Basic programming knowledge

Getting API Credentials

Basic API Request for Comments

Endpoint:

GET https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/commentThreads

Parameters:

Example request:

https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/commentThreads?part=snippet,replies&videoId=dQw4w9WgXcQ&key=YOUR_API_KEY&maxResults=100

Python Script Example

import requests
import json

API_KEY = 'your_api_key_here'
VIDEO_ID = 'dQw4w9WgXcQ'

def get_comments(video_id, api_key):
    comments = []
    url = f'https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/commentThreads'
    params = {
        'part': 'snippet,replies',
        'videoId': video_id,
        'key': api_key,
        'maxResults': 100
    }
    
    while True:
        response = requests.get(url, params=params)
        data = response.json()
        
        for item in data.get('items', []):
            comment = item['snippet']['topLevelComment']['snippet']
            comments.append({
                'author': comment['authorDisplayName'],
                'text': comment['textDisplay'],
                'likes': comment['likeCount'],
                'published_at': comment['publishedAt']
            })
        
        if 'nextPageToken' in data:
            params['pageToken'] = data['nextPageToken']
        else:
            break
    
    return comments

# Export to JSON
comments = get_comments(VIDEO_ID, API_KEY)
with open('comments.json', 'w') as f:
    json.dump(comments, f, indent=2)

API Quota Considerations

Optimization tips:

• Use maxResults=100 to minimize calls
• Cache results to avoid repeat requests
• Handle pagination efficiently
• Implement exponential backoff for errors

Working with Downloaded Data

Opening CSV in Excel

• Select "Delimited"
• Check "Comma" as delimiter
• Preview and confirm

Opening CSV in Google Sheets

Processing JSON Data

In Python:

import json

with open('comments.json', 'r') as f:
    data = json.load(f)

for comment in data['comments']:
    print(f"{comment['author']}: {comment['text']}")

In JavaScript:

const fs = require('fs');

const data = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('comments.json', 'utf8'));

data.comments.forEach(comment => {
    console.log(`${comment.author}: ${comment.text}`);
});

Common Data Analysis Tasks

Sorting by Likes

In Excel:

1. 1.Select all data
2. 2.Data > Sort
3. 3.Sort by "likes" column
4. 4.Choose "Largest to Smallest"

Filtering by Keyword

In Excel:

1. 1.Select header row
2. 2.Data > Filter
3. 3.Click filter arrow on "text" column
4. 4.Text Filters > Contains
5. 5.Enter your keyword

Counting Unique Commenters

In Excel:

=SUMPRODUCT(1/COUNTIF(A2:A1000,A2:A1000))

In Google Sheets:

=COUNTUNIQUE(A2:A1000)

Troubleshooting Download Issues

"No Comments Found"

Causes:

• Video has comments disabled
• Video is private/unlisted
• Invalid video URL

Solutions:

• Verify video has public comments
• Check URL format
• Try a different video to test

Incomplete Download

Causes:

• Connection timeout
• Tool rate limited
• Server overload

Solutions:

• Try during off-peak hours
• Use an extension instead
• Try API method for large videos

Encoding Issues (Strange Characters)

Causes:

• UTF-8 encoding not preserved
• Special characters in comments
• Emoji conversion issues

Solutions:

• Open CSV with UTF-8 encoding explicitly
• Use JSON format (better Unicode support)
• Specify encoding when importing

Choose JSON for programming and data analysis applications where you need reply threading and complete metadata. Choose CSV for spreadsheet analysis in Excel or Google Sheets. Either way, you'll have access to all the comment data you need for analysis, research, or community management.

Related Resources:

• YouTube Comment Extractor Guide
• Export YouTube Comments to Excel
• YouTube Comments API Guide