YouTube Video Transcript Generator
100% free · No sign-up · Unlimited

YouTube Video Transcript Generator

Paste any YouTube link to get the full transcript with timestamps — free, instant, and no sign-up.

No link handy?

  • Videos, Shorts & live replays
  • Plays in sync with the video
  • TXT, SRT & VTT download

What Is a YouTube Video Transcript Generator?

A YouTube video transcript generator is a free online tool that turns the spoken words of a YouTube video into text. You paste the video link, and it shows the full transcript with timestamps, which you can read along with the video, search, copy, or download as a TXT, SRT or VTT file.

Think of it as a YouTube to text converter and a YouTube subtitle downloader in one. Instead of pausing and rewinding, you get the whole video as text in a few seconds, ready for notes, quotes, blog posts, captions or an AI summary.

How it works

How to Use the YouTube Video Transcript Generator

Three steps, about ten seconds.

  1. Copy the video linkOpen the video on YouTube and copy the URL from the address bar or the Share button. Shorts and youtu.be links work too.
  2. Paste it abovePaste the link into the box at the top of this page. The transcript starts loading straight away.
  3. Read, copy or downloadPress play to read along with the video, search for a word, then copy the text or download it as TXT, SRT or VTT.
Features

Why Use Our Free YouTube Transcript Generator?

Everything you need to turn a video into usable text — nothing you don’t.

Instant transcripts

No waiting for audio to be processed. The transcript is read straight from the video’s captions, so even hour-long videos load in seconds.

Read along with the video

The video plays beside the transcript and the current line lights up as it is spoken. Click any line to jump to that moment.

Copy exactly what you need

Copy the whole transcript or a single line, with or without timestamps, as lines or as clean paragraphs.

TXT, SRT & VTT downloads

Download a text file for notes and articles, or SRT and VTT subtitle files with exact timing for video editors and web players.

Search inside the video

Every match is highlighted and you can jump between them, so you find a quote in a two-hour podcast in seconds.

Every caption language

Switch between all the caption tracks a video has, including auto-generated and translated ones.

One tool, every job

Everything Our YouTube Video Transcript Generator Can Do

Whatever you call it — a YouTube to text converter, a subtitle downloader or a caption extractor — it is all here, free.

YouTube to Text Converter

Turn any YouTube video into plain, readable text in seconds. Switch to Paragraphs view and the transcript reads like an article, ready for notes, emails or documents. Convert a video to text

YouTube Transcript Downloader

Download the full transcript of a YouTube video as a .txt file, named after the video, with or without timestamps. Nothing to install and no account needed.

YouTube Subtitle Downloader (SRT & VTT)

Save a video’s captions as an SRT subtitle file for Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, CapCut or VLC, or as WebVTT for HTML5 web players. Download subtitles as SRT

YouTube Caption Extractor

Extract every caption track a video has, both creator-uploaded and auto-generated, and pick the one you need from the language menu.

YouTube Shorts Transcript Generator

The Shorts player hides the transcript button, but you can paste any youtube.com/shorts/ link here and get the full text. Get a Shorts transcript

YouTube Transcript With Timestamps

Every line shows when it was said. Click a timestamp to jump the video to that moment, or keep timestamps in your copy for study notes and citations. Working with timestamps

YouTube Transcript Without Timestamps

Untick Timestamps and copy clean, flowing text with no time codes, perfect for blog posts, AI tools and translation.

Live Read-Along Transcript

Watch the video and read at the same time. The spoken line is highlighted as it plays and the transcript scrolls with it, so you never lose your place.

Search Inside Any YouTube Video

Type a word to highlight every place it is said, then jump between matches. Find one quote in a three-hour podcast in seconds. Search inside a video

Multi-Language YouTube Transcripts

Get transcripts in English, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese and every other language the video has captions in, including auto-translated tracks. Transcripts in other languages

YouTube Transcript on iPhone & Android

The YouTube app will not let you copy a transcript. Paste the link here in your phone’s browser and copy or download it in one tap. Transcripts on your phone

YouTube Transcript for AI & ChatGPT

Copy the transcript into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini to summarize a video, make study notes, or ask questions about it. Summarize a video with AI

Compare

YouTube’s “Show Transcript” vs. Our Transcript Generator

YouTube has a built-in transcript panel, but it is made for viewing, not for using the text.

FeatureYouTube “Show transcript”This generator
Copy the full transcript in one clickNo, select by handYes
Download as TXT, SRT or VTTNoYes
Search with highlighted matchesNoYes
Clean paragraph viewNoYes
Copy text on a phoneNoYes, in any mobile browser
YouTube ShortsOften unavailableYes, if captioned
Highlights the line being spokenYes, on desktopYes, on any device
PriceFreeFree, no sign-up
Export formats

Download Your YouTube Transcript as TXT, SRT or VTT

Choose the format that fits where the text is going next.

FormatWhat you getBest for
Copy to clipboardExactly what you see: lines or paragraphs, with or without timestampsDocs, notes, emails, ChatGPT
Text (.txt)A plain text file named after the videoArchiving, Word, Google Docs, translation
Subtitles (.srt)Numbered captions with exact start and end timesVideo editors, VLC, re-uploading captions
Web captions (.vtt)WebVTT captions with exact timingHTML5 video players and websites

Need a Word or PDF file? Download the text and save it from Word or Google Docs — see how to save a YouTube transcript as PDF or Word.

Use cases

Who Uses a YouTube Transcript Generator?

Video types

Transcripts for Every Kind of YouTube Video

If a video has captions, our YouTube video transcript generator can turn it into text.

Lectures & online courses

Turn hour-long classes into searchable study notes and revise in minutes.

Podcasts & interviews

Find quotes fast and create show notes. Podcast transcripts

Tutorials & how-to videos

Follow steps at your own pace instead of pausing and rewinding.

Cooking & recipe videos

Turn a cooking video into a written recipe card. Get the recipe

News & documentaries

Check exactly what was said and quote it accurately. Cite a video

Product reviews

Skim a 20-minute review for the pros, cons and verdict in two minutes.

Webinars & live-stream replays

Get the text of finished streams and webinars once captions are processed.

Talks, sermons & speeches

Read, share and reference long talks without rewatching them.

Your own videos

Reuse your script for blogs, captions and social posts. Get a video’s script

Languages

YouTube Transcripts in Any Language

Our tool reads every caption track a video offers, so you are not limited to English.

  • English
  • Spanish
  • Hindi
  • Arabic
  • Portuguese
  • French
  • German
  • Indonesian
  • Urdu
  • Bengali
  • Russian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Turkish
  • Italian
  • Vietnamese
  • Chinese
  • Thai
  • Dutch
  • Polish
  • Filipino
  • Persian
  • Ukrainian
  • and more

When a video has more than one caption track, a language menu appears above the transcript. Language learners can read along in the original language and replay any sentence — see how to learn a language with YouTube transcripts.

Supported YouTube Link Formats

Our YouTube video transcript generator understands every common link style, so you never need to clean up the URL first:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
  • https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
  • https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID (Shorts transcripts)
  • https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID and /live/VIDEO_ID
  • Mobile links from m.youtube.com and links with extra parameters like &t=120s or playlists

Where Does the Transcript Come From?

Most YouTube videos have captions, either uploaded by the creator or generated automatically by YouTube’s speech recognition. Our tool reads those captions and lays them out as a clean, readable transcript.

That is why it is so fast, and why it cannot create a transcript for a video that has no captions at all. Creator-uploaded captions are usually the most accurate; auto-generated captions are marked “auto” so you know to proofread. Read more in auto-generated vs. manual captions, or see why a transcript may not be available.

Tips for the Most Accurate Transcript

  • Pick the creator’s captions. Tracks without “(auto)” were uploaded by the creator and are usually the most accurate.
  • Listen before you quote. Click a line to hear it and confirm the words, especially names and numbers.
  • Use Paragraphs for reading and Lines for checking timings.
  • Turn timestamps off before copying text into an article or AI tool.
  • New upload? Automatic captions can take a while to appear. Why a transcript may be missing.

Free, Private and No Sign-Up

  • 100% free with no daily limit for normal personal use.
  • No account, no email and nothing to install.
  • No history tied to you. Transcripts are cached for a few hours only to make repeat requests faster.
  • Works everywhere: Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad and Android.
  • Independent: not affiliated with YouTube or Google. Please respect creators’ rights when you reuse their words.
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?

Copy the video link, paste it into the box at the top of this page, and the full transcript appears in seconds with timestamps. You can then read it along with the video, copy it, or download it as TXT, SRT or VTT. For other methods, including YouTube’s own transcript panel, see how to get the transcript of a YouTube video.

Is this YouTube transcript generator free?

Yes. The tool is 100% free to use, there is no sign-up, and there is no limit on how many videos you can transcribe for normal personal use.

Can I watch the video while reading the transcript?

Yes. The video plays next to the transcript and the line being spoken is highlighted as it plays. Click any line or timestamp to jump the video to that moment.

Can I download the transcript as TXT, SRT or VTT?

Yes. After the transcript loads, open the Download menu and choose Text (.txt) for plain text, Subtitles (.srt) for a subtitle file, or Web captions (.vtt) for web players. SRT and VTT files keep the timing and work in most video editors and players. Learn more about downloading YouTube subtitles as SRT.

Why does a video say “no transcript available”?

Transcripts come from a video’s captions. If the creator turned captions off, if YouTube has not generated automatic captions yet (common for brand-new or very short uploads), or if the video is private or age-restricted, there is nothing to extract. See all the reasons and fixes.

Can I get a transcript of a YouTube video without captions?

Not with this tool, because it reads the video’s existing captions. For a video with no captions you would need a speech-to-text service that listens to the audio. If it is your own video, you can add captions in YouTube Studio first.

Can I get a transcript of YouTube Shorts and live streams?

Yes. You can paste Shorts links (youtube.com/shorts/…), regular watch links, youtu.be short links, embed links and finished live-stream replays, as long as the video has captions.

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

Yes. It runs in any mobile browser, with nothing to install and no account needed. Copy the link from the YouTube app’s Share menu and paste it here to copy or download the transcript on your phone. See YouTube transcripts on iPhone and Android.

Does it work in other languages?

Yes. If a video has captions in several languages, a language menu appears so you can switch between them, including auto-generated tracks.

How accurate are the transcripts?

Transcripts are exactly as accurate as the video’s captions. Captions uploaded by the creator are usually very accurate. Auto-generated captions are good for clear speech but can miss names, technical words and punctuation, so proofread before publishing.

How do I convert a YouTube video to text?

Paste the video link into our YouTube Video Transcript Generator, switch to Paragraphs view and untick Timestamps. Then press Copy or download the text file. The whole video is now readable text. More tips in how to convert a YouTube video to text.

How do I download YouTube subtitles as an SRT file?

Load the video’s transcript here, choose the caption language if there are several, then open Download and pick Subtitles (.srt). The file keeps the exact timing and works in video editors and players like VLC.

How do I get a YouTube transcript without timestamps?

Untick the Timestamps box above the transcript before you copy or download. Selecting text with your mouse never includes timestamps either.

Can I summarize a YouTube video with ChatGPT using the transcript?

Yes. Copy the transcript with timestamps off, paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and ask for a summary, key points or study notes. Ask the AI to use only the transcript so it does not invent details. See how to summarize a YouTube video with AI.

Can I translate a YouTube transcript?

If the video offers captions in your language, including YouTube’s auto-translated tracks, pick it from the language menu. Otherwise copy the transcript and paste it into a translation tool.

Is there a limit on video length?

No. Short clips, Shorts and multi-hour podcasts, lectures or live-stream replays all work, as long as the video has captions.

Can I search for a word inside a YouTube video?

Yes. Type it into the search box above the transcript. Every match is highlighted, the counter shows how many there are, and you can jump between them and click a line to play that moment.

Do you save my transcripts or keep a history?

No account is needed and there is no history linked to you. Transcripts are cached on our server for a few hours only, to make repeat requests faster.

Is it legal to download a YouTube transcript?

Viewing and saving captions for personal use, study, research or accessibility is common. The words still belong to the video’s creator, so ask for permission before republishing a transcript of someone else’s video, and credit them when you quote it.

Guides

YouTube Transcript Guides & Tips

Step-by-step help for getting more out of YouTube transcripts.

More guides

Browse all transcript guides →