01
Paste the link
Copy the address from the browser bar or from YouTube's Share button. Watch links, youtu.be short links and Shorts links are all accepted.
YouTube link → timestamped text
YouTube transcript generator — get the text of a YouTube video, with timestamps.
Paste a YouTube link and get every line that is said, each with the time it starts in the video.
This YouTube transcript generator reads the captions of the video you link and lays them out as a transcript: one line per caption, a clickable time in front of each, and notes underneath. It works with videos that have captions, which covers most lectures, talks, tutorials, interviews and news clips.
- Timestamped lines
- Each time opens that moment.
- Two .txt files
- With the times, or without.
- Captions
- Works with videos that have captions.
How it works
From a YouTube link to a transcript in three steps.
02
We fetch the captions
Our backend asks for the captions the video already has, together with the time each caption starts. The video is not downloaded or played, so an hour-long lecture opens about as quickly as a short clip.
03
Read, copy, download
The transcript appears line by line, each time a link to that moment. Copy it, save it as a .txt file with or without the times, and scroll down for the notes.
What you get
The words, the times, and the notes.
One line per caption. The transcript keeps the rhythm of the captions, so a line is usually a phrase or a short sentence, easy to scan and quote.
A time you can click. Every line starts with its time, such as [4:12]. Select it and the video opens on YouTube at that second, which makes it quick to check a quote against what was really said.
Copy with times. One button copies the whole transcript with its times, ready to paste into a document, a research log or a message to a colleague.
Two text files. Download a .txt with the times for reference, or a .txt without them when you only want the words as one continuous text.
Notes below the transcript. The same request also writes a short summary and the key points, so you can see what the video covers before you read all of it.
Timestamps for your own videos? To add chapters to a description or make a link to one moment, use the YouTube timestamp generator.
A worked example
Quoting a lecture without rewatching it.
Say you are writing an essay and want to quote a 75-minute history lecture that you watched last week. Paste its link above and select Get the text. A few moments later the lecture is on the page as a list of lines like these:
[0:00] Good morning, and welcome back to the course. [0:04] Today we pick up where we left off, in 1848. [12:37] The important thing to notice is who signed the letter. [1:02:05] That is where we will stop for today.
You search the page for the word "letter", find the line at 12:37, and select the time to hear the sentence in context. Then you copy the lines you need, with their times, straight into your draft, so anyone who reads it can check the source.
Captions required
When a video has no captions.
The generator only reads captions. It never transcribes the video's sound, so a video without captions gives a short message instead of a transcript. That happens when the creator turned captions off, when a video is very new, or when YouTube could not caption its language.
If you have the video as a file, for example your own recording, choose it in the file box below the link. Your browser extracts the audio, only the audio is sent to be transcribed, and you get the full text back on this page.
You can also use the Chrome extension, which reads the transcript on the YouTube page itself when one is shown there, and which keeps working when the website's transcript capacity is used up.
Transcripts while you watch
Get YouTube transcripts and notes next to the video.
The Video to Notes extension for Chrome adds an Extract notes button to YouTube watch pages. It reads the transcript in your browser and shows the notes in a side panel while the video plays.
- Transcript and notes next to the video
- Works when the website's YouTube transcripts are busy
- Long lectures, talks and local video files
- Export to PDF, Markdown, HTML or TXT
FAQ
YouTube transcript generator questions
How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?
Paste the link of the video into the box at the top of this page and select Get the text. We fetch the captions the video already has and show them as lines with their start times. Copy the text, download it as a .txt file with or without the times, and read the notes below it.
Does the video need captions?
Yes. The generator works with videos that have captions, either added by the creator or generated automatically by YouTube. It reads those captions and does not listen to the video. If a video has no captions, the page says so, and you can upload the file instead or use the Chrome extension.
What do the timestamps link to?
Each time opens the video on YouTube at that second, with a link such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=65s for a line that starts at 1:05. Times are rounded down to the whole second, so the video never starts after the words do.
What is the difference between the two .txt downloads?
The .txt with times has one line per caption, starting with its time in square brackets, for example [1:05] or [1:02:05] after the first hour. The .txt without times is the same text as one continuous transcript, which is easier to paste into a document or a translation tool.
How long can the video be?
For a YouTube link, what counts is the size of its captions rather than a set number of hours, and the captions of most talks, lectures and podcasts fit. If a very long video's captions are too large, the page says so. For an uploaded file, one selection can be up to 1 hour without signing in, or up to 2 hours signed in with a Trial PRO or an hour pack, within your remaining balance.
How accurate is the transcript?
It is exactly as good as the captions on YouTube. Captions written by the creator are usually accurate; captions YouTube generates automatically can miss names, technical terms and punctuation. The times come from the captions too, so they match the video.
What is sent and what is stored?
For a YouTube link, the link, your language choices and the anonymous ID the site uses for usage limits are sent to our backend. The backend fetches the public captions through a transcript service and sends the text to an AI model to write the notes. The public captions of a video may be kept for up to 30 days so the same video loads faster next time, without recording who asked. The privacy page has the details.
Why does the page say YouTube transcripts are busy?
The captions are fetched through transcript services that have a monthly capacity. When it is used up, the page shows a busy message instead of a transcript. Try again later, or use the Chrome extension, which reads the transcript in your browser and does not depend on that capacity.
Ready when you are
Turn a YouTube video into timestamped text.
Paste a link above, or add the Chrome extension to get transcripts and notes on the YouTube page itself.