No sign-up · Free to start · Multiple languages

YouTube to Transcript

Generate a YouTube transcript for free. Switch subtitle tracks, translate into 125+ languages, then copy or download the text.

// Features

Everything you need
to work with video as text

Accurate YouTube transcripts in a couple of clicks: copy them, translate into 125+ languages, export to .txt or .srt.

Fast by default

Get the full timestamped transcript of any YouTube video in seconds. No queues and no sign-up: paste a link and the YouTube transcript generator turns speech into clean, searchable text you can quote and reuse anywhere.

AI summary

Condense the whole video into key points in one click.

125+ languages

Switch subtitle tracks and read in your language.

One-click save

Export to .txt and .srt formats or copy transcripts with one click.

// Process

How to get a YouTube transcript

  1. 01

    Copy the link of the YouTube video you want to read and paste it into the field above.

  2. 02

    Press "Get transcript" and wait a few seconds while we fetch the subtitle track.

  3. 03

    Read the transcript with timestamps, copy it, download it as .txt or .srt, or click "Summarize" for the key points.

// Cases

Why you need a YouTube video transcript

Video is great until you need the words themselves: a quote for an essay, notes from a lecture, text for someone who prefers reading. TranscriptYou turns any YouTube video into an accurate transcript you can actually work with.

For students and researchers

Lectures and interviews become searchable, study-ready text.

  • Turn hour-long lectures into notes you can skim before an exam.
  • Quote a speaker precisely, with a timestamp to back the citation.
  • Search across a talk for the exact moment a concept is explained.

For creators and marketers

Your published videos are a content library waiting to be reused.

  • Repurpose a video into a blog post, newsletter, or thread in minutes.
  • Write accurate descriptions and chapter markers from the real wording.
  • Fix auto-captions by exporting .srt and editing the text directly.

For language learners and accessibility

A YouTube transcript makes video content accessible to everyone: viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and anyone learning a new language from real spoken speech.

  • Read along as you listen to train comprehension and pick up natural vocabulary.
  • Translate the transcript into 125+ languages and compare it with the original wording.
  • Follow any video without sound — in a library, on a commute, or in a quiet office.
  • Slow down at difficult moments: find the exact phrase by its timestamp and replay it.

// AI workflow

Combine YouTube transcripts with AI tools

AI assistants cannot watch a video, but they read text brilliantly. Pair a transcript with tools like ChatGPT or Claude to summarize the video, take notes, or even script a new one. Here are a few ways to put a YouTube transcript to work with AI:

// FAQ

Questions, answered.

Everything you might wonder about, in one place.

Is TranscriptYou really free?

Yes. Extracting transcripts, switching languages, copying, and exporting are all free, with no account and no watermarks. Anti-abuse rate limits are the only restriction, and normal use never hits them.

Do I need to sign up or install anything?

No. TranscriptYou works entirely in your browser. Paste a YouTube link, press the button, and read the text. That is the whole flow.

Which videos are supported?

Any public YouTube video or Short that has subtitles, whether uploaded by the creator or auto-generated by YouTube. Private, members-only, and age-restricted videos cannot be read.

Where does the transcript text come from?

From the video's own subtitle tracks. We read the captions that already exist on YouTube and format them into clean, timestamped text. We do not run our own speech recognition, so the text matches what viewers see as captions.

What if a video has no subtitles at all?

Then there is nothing to extract, and we will tell you so. This is rare, since YouTube auto-generates captions for most videos in major languages, but brand-new uploads can take a while to get them.

Can I get the transcript in another language?

If the video has subtitle tracks in other languages, they appear as buttons above the transcript; one click switches the whole text. Many popular videos carry tracks in dozens of the 125+ languages YouTube supports.

How accurate are the transcripts?

Creator-uploaded subtitles are usually excellent. Auto-generated captions are good for clear speech but can stumble on names, accents, and technical terms. The track name tells you which kind you are reading.

What export formats are available?

Plain text (.txt) with or without timestamps, and SubRip subtitles (.srt) with precise start and end times, the format video editors and players understand. Copying to the clipboard is also one click.

How do I use a transcript with ChatGPT or Claude?

Copy the transcript, paste it into the chat, and tell the assistant what you want: a summary, chapter breakdown, quiz questions, or a blog post draft. The prompt ideas above are ready to use.

Is it legal to download a transcript?

Reading and saving a transcript for personal use (study, research, accessibility) is generally fine. The content itself belongs to the video's creator, so republishing it or using it commercially may require their permission. When in doubt, ask the creator.

Is there a limit on how many transcripts I can get?

There is no fixed daily quota. We apply anti-abuse rate limits to keep the service fast for everyone, but normal use, even heavy research sessions, stays well below them.

Do you store my transcripts or the links I paste?

Transcripts are fetched on demand and rendered in your browser; we do not build a library of your requests, and the text is not tied to your identity. See the privacy policy for the full picture.

Ready to try it?

Paste a YouTube link and get your transcript in seconds

  • No sign-up
  • Free to start
  • Multiple languages
Try it now