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YouTube Transcript Generator

Paste a YouTube link. Get every word that was said, with times, ready to copy or download.

Works with videos, Shorts and live replays that have captions on YouTube.

Example Paste a link and its transcript appears here, ready to copy.

Me at the zoo

jawed · 0:19

Uploaded captions39 words1 minute to read

Show it

0:01All right, so here we are, in front of the elephants

0:05the cool thing about these guys is that they have really...

0:07really really long trunks

0:12and that's cool

0:14(baaaaaaaaaaahhh!!)

0:16and that's pretty much all there is to say

Paste a YouTube link above to get every word of the video, with times. Pick any caption language it has, then copy it or save it as .txt or .srt, free.

How to Get a YouTube Video Transcript

It takes three steps and a few seconds. There is nothing to install and no account to make.

  1. Paste the link

    Copy the link of any YouTube video, Short or live replay and paste it into the box above. The transcript loads by itself.

  2. Pick the language and the look

    Choose a caption language if the video has more than one. Then show it with times, in paragraphs, or as text only.

  3. Copy or download

    Press Copy transcript, or save a .txt or .srt file. Press a time, like 0:05, to watch that moment on YouTube.

What each choice gives you

ChooseWhat you get
With timesA time on every line. Press one to watch that moment.
ParagraphsLines joined into paragraphs, with one time at the start of each.
Text onlyJust the words, ready for notes, an article or ChatGPT.
Download .txtA text file of the transcript, the way it is shown.
Download .srtA subtitle file with every line's start and end time.

What Are YouTube Captions?

A transcript is a video's captions, written out in order. Captions come in two kinds.

Uploaded captions are added by the channel itself. Automatic captions are made by YouTube's speech recognition, with no person checking.

Google says automatic captions can get words wrong because of accents, dialects, mispronunciations or background noise. Each transcript here says which kind it is.

Quoting someone? Press the time beside the line and check the words against the video before you use them.

Why a Video Has No Transcript

No captions means no transcript, here or on YouTube. Google lists these reasons a video has no automatic captions:

  • The captions are still being made
  • YouTube does not support the language
  • The video is too long
  • The sound is poor, or the speech is not recognised
  • A long silence at the start
  • Voices or languages overlapping

Private videos do not work, because YouTube keeps them hidden. Age-restricted videos show captions only to signed-in viewers, so they do not work here either.

Transcripts in Other Languages

Every caption language a video has shows in the Language list. Pick one and the transcript changes to it.

YouTube makes automatic captions in 67 languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian and Vietnamese.

We show the captions the video has. We do not translate them, so a language missing from the list is not on the video yet.

How to See the Transcript on YouTube

YouTube has its own: open the video's description and press Show transcript. Press any line to jump to that part of the video.

This tool gives you the same words in one piece. You can copy them all at once, save a file, find a word, and switch languages.

Supported Video Types

Long videos, Shorts, podcasts and live replays all work when they have captions. We tested a six-hour live replay and a three-hour podcast.

During a live stream, YouTube makes automatic captions in English only. Many Shorts and music videos have no captions at all.

How to Summarize a YouTube Video with ChatGPT

Get the transcript here, choose Text only and press Copy transcript. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, then ask for what you need:

  • Summarize this video in five bullet points
  • List every tip, with the time it is said
  • Turn this into a blog post

For a time beside each point, choose With times before you copy. A very long transcript may need pasting in parts.

Tips for Using YouTube Transcripts

Quote a few lines, not the whole transcript, and name the creator with a link to the video. The Citation Generator writes the reference for you.

To send someone to one moment, press its time here, or make a link with the Timestamp Link Generator.

An .srt file opens in VLC and most video editors. Use it as subtitles on your own video, or to start a translation by hand.

Sources checked in October 2026: YouTube Help on viewing video transcripts, automatic captions and adding subtitles and captions.

Frequently asked questions

What students, writers and creators ask most about YouTube transcripts.

How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?

Paste the video's link into the box above and press Get transcript. The whole transcript appears with its times. On YouTube itself, open the video's description and press Show transcript.

Is this YouTube transcript generator free?

Yes, free with no sign-up, no extension and no account. One connection can get 30 transcripts an hour, which keeps it fast for everyone.

Why does a YouTube video have no transcript?

A transcript comes from a video's captions, so a video without captions has none. YouTube skips automatic captions when the sound is poor, voices overlap, the language is not supported or the video is very long.

Does it work with automatic captions?

Yes. Each transcript says whether the channel uploaded its captions or YouTube made them automatically. Automatic captions can mishear accents, names and words spoken over noise, so check a quote before you use it.

Can I get a transcript in another language?

Yes, in every caption language the video has. Pick one from the Language list. We show the captions YouTube has; we do not translate them.

Can I copy a YouTube transcript without timestamps?

Yes. Choose Text only and press Copy transcript. Paragraphs keeps one time at the start of each paragraph, and With times keeps a time on every line.

Can I download a transcript as a .txt or .srt file?

Yes. Download .txt saves the transcript the way it is shown. Download .srt saves a subtitle file with every line's start and end time, for video editors and players such as VLC.

Does it work with Shorts and live streams?

Yes, for Shorts and live replays that have captions. During a live stream YouTube makes automatic captions in English only. Many Shorts and music videos have no captions at all.

How do I summarize a YouTube video with ChatGPT?

Get the transcript here, choose Text only and press Copy transcript. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and ask for a summary. Long transcripts may need pasting in parts.

Is this an AI transcript?

We add no AI. It shows the captions already on YouTube, word for word. Automatic captions come from YouTube's own speech recognition, so check names and quotes.

Can I get the transcript of a private or age-restricted video?

No. YouTube hides a private video's captions, and shows an age-restricted video's captions only to signed-in viewers. Public videos with captions work.

Can I search inside a YouTube transcript?

Yes. Type a word in Find a word and every match lights up. Press Enter to jump to the next one, then press its time to watch that moment on YouTube.

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