YouTube transcript Paste the link, get the text with timestamps.
To get a YouTube transcript, paste the link here, create your account and import the video in the next step. We transcribe every word with its timestamp and tell the speakers apart, in 90+ languages. You download the text as TXT, PDF or SRT. The trial lasts 3 days or 1 hour of video.
Free on the 3-day trialVideos, Shorts, live streams and youtu.be links. Private or age-restricted videos can't be imported.
- Word-by-word transcript with timestamps and speakers
- Language detected for you, across 90+ languages
- TXT, PDF and SRT downloads, with or without times and speakers
- A summary and chapters of the video, made alongside
- Live streams go in even before the replay is out
You create the account, start the trial and paste this link in the upload area. The trial lasts 3 days or 1 hour of video and needs a card; cancel before it ends and you pay nothing.
How to transcribe a YouTube video
- 01
Paste the video link
Copy the video link from the address bar or YouTube's Share button and paste it above. We show the video code and thumbnail so you can check it.
- 02
Create an account and import
Create your account, paste the same link in the link tab of the upload area and see the title and length. Only need part of it? Set a start and end before processing.
- 03
Review and download
Read the transcript next to the video, fix names and terms, and download it as TXT, PDF or SRT, with or without timestamps and speakers.
What a YouTube transcript from us looks like
The transcript comes in turns, each with who spoke and the minute it starts. Underneath, every word has its own time, so clicking a line sends the player right there. Speakers show up as Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on; on Studio and Agency you can name each one or ask us to work out who is who from the conversation itself.
The language is detected for you, so a church service in Portuguese, a lecture in English or an interview in Spanish all go in the same way. If a name or a technical term comes out wrong, fix it right in the text: the fix carries to the SRT, the clip captions and every other export.
Can you transcribe YouTube live streams, Shorts and long videos?
Yes. We take links to regular videos, Shorts, live streams, clips, embedded videos and short youtu.be links. Long videos work too: what counts is the hours on your plan. For a two-hour service or a long podcast, set a start and end before processing and only that part is transcribed and counted.
A live stream that just ended often has no replay for a while. When that happens the file doesn't fail: it waits for the replay and we try again on our own every 90 minutes, for about 18 hours. Think of the church that streams the Sunday evening service and wants the sermon text on Monday.
| Link | Example |
|---|---|
| Video | youtube.com/watch?v=... |
| Short link | youtu.be/... |
| Shorts | youtube.com/shorts/... |
| Live | youtube.com/live/... |
| Playlist or channel | No: open the video and copy its link |
YouTube's own transcript or a full transcript: which do you need?
On YouTube itself, the Show transcript panel appears when the video has captions, uploaded by the channel or automatic. It shows the text in time blocks without telling speakers apart, and to take the text elsewhere you select and copy it by hand. It's fine for finding a quick line.
When the text is going to become a blog post, lecture notes, an interview record or captions for another video, a full transcript saves work. It splits the turns by speaker, times every word, can be edited and downloads as a file. The same import also brings a summary, timestamped chapters and, for video, captioned clips for Reels and Shorts.
| Feature | YouTube panel | Full transcript |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers | Not separated | Speaker 1, Speaker 2 or names |
| Timing | Per block | Per word |
| Edit the text | No | Yes, and the fix carries everywhere |
| Download | Copy and paste | TXT, PDF or SRT |
| Needs captions on the video | Yes | No, it comes from the speech |
What's included in the free trial
The trial lasts 3 days or 1 hour of video, whichever ends first, and needs a card. Cancel before it ends and you aren't charged; if you don't cancel, the plan you picked starts on its own. A video longer than the trial hour is transcribed up to that hour, and the rest is kept for after you subscribe, with no need to import it again.
On the trial you transcribe, edit and download the text just like on the paid plans. You get the features of the plan you choose to try, with a few trial limits of its own, such as one upload at a time.
- The full transcript with timestamps and speakers.
- TXT, PDF and SRT, with or without times and speakers.
- A summary and chapters of the video, ready with the text.
More than a video transcript. The same link becomes chapters, clips and captions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a YouTube transcript for free?
Paste the link on this page, create your account and paste the same link in the upload area. We transcribe it with a timestamp on every word and tell the speakers apart. The trial lasts 3 days or 1 hour of video, needs a card and charges nothing if you cancel before it ends.
Can I transcribe a YouTube live stream?
Yes, once the replay is available. If you paste the link right after the stream, the file waits for the replay and we try again on our own every 90 minutes, for about 18 hours. When the replay comes out, the transcript starts without you doing anything.
Can I transcribe only part of a video?
Yes. After pasting the link, set the start and end of the part you want before processing. Only that range is transcribed and only it counts toward your plan's hours. It's the easiest way to keep just the sermon from a full service or one segment of a long live stream.
Does the transcript show who is speaking?
Yes. Every turn is marked with the person who spoke, as Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, and you can filter the text by speaker. On Studio and Agency you can name each one or ask us to identify who is who from what's said in the conversation.
Can I download the transcript as a Word file?
The text downloads as TXT, PDF or SRT. The TXT opens straight in Word and Google Docs, with or without timestamps and speaker names, so you just open it and save it in the format you need. The SRT is for uploading captions to YouTube or taking them into a video editor.
Does it work with private videos?
No. Private, age-restricted or region-blocked videos can't be imported, because we can't open them. If the video is yours, upload the file you recorded or make the video public for a while. The transcript from the file is the same as from the link.
Which languages does it support?
90+ languages, with the language detected for you. There's nothing to choose before pasting the link. The transcript comes out in the language spoken in the video; to get the text in another language, Studio and Agency translate the transcript and the captions.
Transcribe your YouTube video. And take chapters and clips along.
Paste the link and we transcribe it with timestamps and speakers. You download the text, the SRT or clips with captions burned in. Trial of 3 days or 1 hour of video.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.