Is the YouTube transcript downloader free?

Yes. You can view, copy and download transcripts for free, with no sign-up.

Can I get the transcript without timestamps?

Yes. Turn off Timestamps and the transcript is shown as clean paragraphs. Copy and TXT download then give you plain text with no times. SRT and VTT files always keep their timings, because subtitle players need them.

What is the difference between TXT, SRT and VTT?

TXT is plain text for reading, notes or documents. SRT is the most widely supported subtitle format and works in VLC, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and most video editors. VTT (WebVTT) is the subtitle format used by HTML5 video players on the web.

Which languages are supported?

Every caption language the video has. Use the language menu to switch between the creator's captions and YouTube's auto-generated captions, when both are available.

Why does a video have no transcript?

A transcript only exists when the video has captions. Some creators turn captions off, and auto-generated captions can take a few hours to appear after upload. Music-only videos often have none.

Are auto-generated transcripts accurate?

They are usually good for clear speech but can miss names, technical terms and punctuation. Captions written by the creator are more accurate, so the tool picks them first when a video has both.

Can I get the transcript of a YouTube Short?

Yes. Paste the Shorts link the same way as a normal video link. Many Shorts only have auto-generated captions, and some have none.

Does it work for long videos and podcasts?

Yes. Lectures, podcasts and live stream recordings that run for hours load in full. Use search to find a topic, and select a timestamp to open the video at that moment.

Can I use a downloaded transcript in ChatGPT or another AI tool?

Yes. Turn off timestamps, select Copy and paste the text into the tool to summarise, translate or take notes from the video.

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

Yes. The tool runs in any mobile or desktop browser. Downloaded files are saved to your Downloads folder, or the Files app on iPhone.

Free YouTube to text tool

YouTube Transcript DownloaderCopy or download as TXT, SRT and VTT, with or without timestamps

Paste a YouTube link to get the full transcript of the video in seconds. Free, with no sign-up, on iPhone, Android and PC.

TXT, SRT and VTTTimestamps on or offEvery caption language

Try:

How it works

How to download a YouTube transcript

Get the full transcript of any video in three steps, with no account and nothing to install.

1
Copy the video link
Open the video on YouTube and copy its link from the address bar or the Share button. Shorts links work too.
2
Paste it above
Paste the link and select Get transcript. The full transcript appears in a few seconds, with every line timed.
3
Copy or download
Copy the text to your clipboard, or download it as a TXT, SRT or VTT file. Switch timestamps on or off first.

Features

More than a copy of the captions

Read, search and export the transcript the way you need it.

With or without timestamps

Keep a [m:ss] time on every line, or turn timestamps off and read the transcript as clean paragraphs.

Search and jump to any moment

Find a word or topic in seconds. Select a timestamp and the video opens on YouTube at that point.

Every caption language

Switch between all the languages the video has, and between the creator's captions and YouTube's auto-generated ones.

Copy the whole transcript

One click puts the full text on your clipboard, ready for a document, notes app or an AI tool.

Formats

Download as text or subtitles

SRT and VTT keep exact timings. TXT can include timestamps or leave them out.

TXTPlain text

Text transcript

Readable paragraphs, or one line per caption with [m:ss] times.

Best for: Notes, documents, blog posts and AI tools

SRTSubRip subtitles

SRT subtitles

Numbered cues with exact start and end times, the most widely supported subtitle file.

Best for: VLC, Premiere Pro, Final Cut and DaVinci Resolve

VTTWebVTT

VTT subtitles

The subtitle format for HTML5 video players, with the same timings as SRT.

Best for: Web players, course platforms and video hosts

Study notesTurn lectures, tutorials and talks into text you can read and highlight.
Blog postsRepurpose your own videos into articles without typing them out again.
Quotes and researchFind the exact words and the moment they were said.
TranslationDownload captions as SRT to edit or translate for your own project.

Guide

How to get the transcript of a YouTube video

Most YouTube videos have a transcript, either written by the creator or generated automatically by YouTube from the speech. This tool reads that transcript and shows it as text you can search, copy and save. You do not need an account, an extension or the YouTube app.

Paste the link to any public video, including Shorts, and the transcript loads with a timestamp on every line. Turn timestamps off to read it as clean paragraphs, which is the easiest way to paste a transcript into a document, an email or an AI tool for a summary.

Transcript, captions and subtitles

Transcript: The spoken words of a video written out as text. It is for reading, searching and quoting.
Captions: Timed text shown on top of the video. YouTube uses captions to build the transcript, so a video with captions always has one.
Subtitles: Captions saved as a file, usually SRT or VTT, so they can be loaded into a video player or editor.

Finding the transcript on YouTube itself

On a computer, open the video, expand the description and select Show transcript. A panel opens next to the video, but YouTube has no button to download it, and copying from the panel brings every timestamp along. In the mobile app the transcript is in the same place, and copying it is harder still. Pasting the link here gives you the same text as a file in one step.

Tips for a better transcript

Pick the creator's captions over auto-generated ones when the language menu offers both. They have punctuation and correct names.
Use search to jump to a topic, then select its timestamp to watch that part of the video.
Download SRT when you want to edit or translate the subtitles, and TXT when you only need the words.
If a new upload shows no transcript, try again later. Auto-generated captions can take a few hours.

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Questions

Something else? [email protected]

Paste the video link into the box at the top of this page and select Get transcript. When the transcript loads, select TXT, SRT or VTT to download it, or Copy to put the whole text on your clipboard.

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