How to transcribe a YouTube video
How to transcribe a YouTube video for free: paste the link, choose the language, and download the transcript or subtitles.
Anyone asking how to transcribe a YouTube video already has what the box below needs: the video's link. Paste it, tap Get transcript, and the transcript opens on its own page, where you can copy it with timestamps or download it as text or SRT.
Step by step
- Copy the video's link. In the YouTube app, tap Share under the video, then Copy link; in a browser, copy the address from the address bar. Shorts links work the same way.
- Tap Paste in the box below, or touch and hold the box and choose Paste.
- Tap Get transcript.
- If the next page says "Working on your transcript", keep it open. A video without captions takes longer, and the page moves to the transcript by itself.
- Read it under Paragraphs, or tap Timestamps to see the time each line starts.
- Tap Copy. With Timestamps on, every line is copied with its time in front, like [1:15].
- For a file, tap Plain text or SRT, then Download Plain text or Download SRT on the page that opens.
- For the transcript in another language, tap Translate, choose the language under Translate into, and tap Translate again.
Paste the link instead of downloading the video
There's nothing to download or install: the link is all the box needs, whether it comes from the YouTube app or a browser. It also spares you a clean-up, because a caption file saved from YouTube's automatic captions repeats each line as it scrolls, while the transcript here has each line once. A video you've already saved can still go through video to text.
Choosing the language
The transcript comes in the language the video is spoken in, with nothing to set. On a transcript that isn't in English, Translate to English does it in one tap. For any other language, tap Translate on the transcript page, or start from Translate YouTube video, where you choose the language before you paste the link.
Timestamps, plain text or subtitles
Plain text has the words alone. For times, tap Timestamps and Copy, or choose SRT or WebVTT under Subtitles for a file with a start and end time on every line, which video editors and YouTube Studio take. YouTube subtitle downloader has the same box, for when the captions are what you're after.
Clear audio beats long audio
A talk or a lesson with one voice at a time comes out cleaner than a music video or a vlog filmed on a loud street. When you only need the main points of a long video, tap Summarize on the transcript page instead of reading it all.
Questions
Can I transcribe a YouTube video without captions?
Yes. It takes longer than a video with captions, and the page that says "Working on your transcript" moves to the transcript when it's ready.
Do I get timestamps?
Yes. Tap Timestamps and then Copy to copy each line with its time, or download SRT or WebVTT for a start and end time on every line. Plain text leaves the times out.
Can I transcribe a whole playlist or channel?
No. It works one video at a time, so paste each video's link on its own.
Can I transcribe a private video?
No. It works with public videos only, not private or age-restricted ones.