To get the transcript of a YouTube video, paste its link in the box above and click Get transcript. The full text appears in a few seconds, as clean paragraphs or line by line with timestamps, and you can copy it, search it, or download it as a .txt file or an .srt subtitle file. The tool reads the captions YouTube already has for the video: the ones the creator uploaded, or YouTube's automatic captions when that is all there is. Nothing to install, no account, and no download button hunting: YouTube itself only lets viewers read the transcript in a side panel.
Prefer YouTube's own panel? Our guide on how to get the transcript of a YouTube video covers the Show transcript steps on desktop and phone, and how to download a YouTube transcript as TXT or SRT explains which file to pick. Want the key points instead of every word? The YouTube video summarizer reads the same video in one pass.
Why turn a YouTube video into a transcript?
- Reading beats watching when you are deciding. A 15-minute talk is around 2,300 words, which you can skim in a few minutes to see whether the video deserves your time.
- Search inside a video. Type a word in the search box and jump to the exact moment a guest mentions a tool, a number or a name.
- Quote accurately. Notes, research and articles need the exact words, with the timestamp as your reference.
- Repurpose your own videos. The transcript is the raw material for a blog post, a newsletter, show notes or a thread: every repurposing workflow starts here.
- Accessibility. A text version helps viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, non-native speakers, and anyone who cannot turn the sound on.
Real example
youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address, published by Stanford (15:04), with English captions uploaded by the channel.
[0:07] This program is brought to you by Stanford University. [0:10] Please visit us at stanford.edu [0:22] Thank You. I am honored to be with you today at your commencement [0:30] from one of the finest universities in the world. [0:35] Truth be told I never graduated from college Real output of this tool, fetched on October 8, 2026: 244 caption lines, 2,298 words, ready as .txt or .srt.
What is the YouTube Transcript Generator?
A YouTube transcript is the text of everything said in a video, taken from its caption track. There are three ways to get one. YouTube's own panel (under the video: the description, then Show transcript) is free but lets you read and copy by hand only, with no file download. YouTube Studio downloads caption files, but only for videos on your own channel. A transcript generator like this one works on any public video with captions and gives you the text as a file in one click. It does not re-transcribe the audio, so the words are exactly what YouTube's transcript panel shows, without the scrolling and copying.
How it works
- 1
Copy the video link
Any public video works: youtube.com/watch links, youtu.be short links, Shorts and live replays once YouTube has processed their captions. On a phone, tap Share, then Copy link.
- 2
Paste it and click Get transcript
The tool asks YouTube for the video's caption track: the creator's own captions when they exist, otherwise the automatic captions in the spoken language.
- 3
Read, search or switch language
Read clean paragraphs, or the line-by-line view whose timestamps open the video at that moment. Search for a word, and switch to any other caption language the video offers.
- 4
Copy or download
Copy the text, download it as .txt for notes and documents, or as .srt to reuse the subtitles in a video editor.
What a great transcript includes
- The complete spoken text, not a summary
- A timestamp on every caption line, linked to that moment in the video
- Readable paragraphs for reading and quoting, grouped roughly every 45 seconds
- A .txt file (paragraphs or timestamped lines) for notes, documents and AI tools
- An .srt file with numbered cues and start and end times, ready for video editors and subtitle tools
- A clear warning when the captions are auto-generated, so you double-check names and numbers
Who it's for
Marketers and founders
Pull quotes, claims and data points from webinars, podcasts and conference talks, then turn the best ideas into posts without rewatching anything.
Creators and podcasters
Get the text of your own videos to write descriptions, chapters, show notes and companion blog posts.
Students and researchers
Turn lectures and interviews into searchable notes and cite the exact wording, with the timestamp as your reference.
Journalists and analysts
Check what was actually said, and keep the timestamp that proves it.
Benefits
- Free and no signup, with a fair daily limit per visitor
- Works with creator-made and auto-generated captions, in every caption language the video offers
- Search inside the transcript and jump to the moment
- One-click copy, plus .txt and .srt downloads
- One click from the transcript to a summary, a blog post or a thread
Frequently asked questions
How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?+
Paste the video link in the tool at the top of this page and click Get transcript: you get the full text with timestamps, to copy or download. Without a tool, open the video on a computer, expand the description, click Show transcript, then select and copy the text from the panel. YouTube offers no download button for viewers.
Is this YouTube transcript generator free?+
Yes. You can fetch transcripts without an account or a credit card. To keep it free for everyone there is a daily limit per visitor. If you reach it, you can continue in Tugan.ai and the video link you pasted is kept for you.
Can I download a YouTube transcript as a file?+
Yes, here: download it as .txt (clean paragraphs or lines with timestamps) or as .srt, the subtitle format most video editors import. YouTube itself only shows the transcript in a side panel; creators can download caption files from YouTube Studio, but only for their own videos.
Why does a video say it has no transcript?+
The tool reads the captions YouTube already has. If the creator turned captions off, or the video is private, members-only or age-restricted, there is no caption track to read. YouTube also lists reasons automatic captions may be missing: speech it cannot recognize, a language it does not support, poor sound, long silence at the start, overlapping speakers, or captions still being processed on a recent upload.
How accurate are YouTube transcripts?+
Exactly as accurate as the captions on YouTube. Captions uploaded by the creator are usually clean and punctuated. Automatic captions come from YouTube's speech recognition: good on clear speech, but they often lack punctuation and get names, jargon and numbers wrong, so check those before you quote them. The tool flags auto-generated captions above the text.
Can I get the transcript in another language?+
Yes, when the video has captions in that language. After the first result, the caption language menu lists every track the video offers, including translations the creator uploaded. Some videos offer dozens: a popular TED talk we tested lists 49 caption languages.
Does it work with Shorts, live replays and long videos?+
Yes for Shorts and for live replays once YouTube has finished their captions. Long videos work too, up to 11 hours. A stream that is still live has no finished caption track yet.
Can I get a transcript of a video that has no captions?+
Not with this tool: it reads caption tracks and does not transcribe audio. If it is your video, turn on automatic captions in YouTube Studio and come back once they are processed. For someone else's video without captions, you need a speech-to-text service that works from the audio.
Can I use the transcript of someone else's video?+
The words belong to the person who made the video. Reading, note-taking, research, accessibility and short quotes with credit are common uses. Republishing someone else's video as your own article is not. For your own videos, reuse the transcript however you like.
Do you keep a record of the videos I look up?+
We cache the text of public video transcripts so repeat requests are fast. To enforce the daily limit we count requests with a one-way hash of your IP address, never the address itself, and those counters are deleted within two days. The videos you look up are not tied to you.
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