YouTube Transcript Generator
Paste a YouTube link and get the whole transcript in seconds — with timestamps, in every caption language the video has, ready to copy or download as TXT or SRT.
Works with ordinary videos, Shorts, live recordings and youtu.be links.
How to get the transcript of a YouTube video
Paste the video's link into the box above and press Get transcript. The full text appears with timestamps, and you can copy it or download it as TXT or SRT. It is free and needs no account. It works whenever the video has captions — added by the creator or generated by YouTube.
On YouTube itself
- Open the video on a computer and expand the description under it.
- Scroll to the end of the description and press Show transcript.
- The transcript opens beside the video. Use the three-dot menu there to hide timestamps, then select the text and copy it.
On the YouTube phone app the same button sits at the end of the description, but copying from there is awkward — this page is quicker on a phone.
When the video has no captions
Then there is no transcript to read: very new uploads, music videos, some languages and channels that switched captions off have none. If you have the audio or video file, SpeakToWords transcribes it with AI — with punctuation and a timestamp on every line. The first 15 minutes are free.
Auto-generated captions versus an AI transcript
YouTube's automatic captions are made for following along while you watch, not for quoting. They have no punctuation, no paragraphs and no speaker names, and they stumble on names, numbers and technical terms. That is fine for searching a video for the moment something was said. For an article, a report or subtitles you will publish, a transcript from a current AI model is far less work to clean up: it punctuates, splits paragraphs and gets proper nouns right far more often.
What people use YouTube transcripts for
- Quoting a talk or interview — find the sentence, copy it with its timestamp.
- Studying — read a lecture at your own speed and search it for one term.
- Repurposing your own videos into blog posts, newsletters and show notes.
- Subtitles — download SRT and load it into a video editor.
- Translation — paste the text into a translator instead of listening.
Questions
How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?
Paste the video link into the box above and press Get transcript. The full text appears with timestamps; copy it or download it as TXT or SRT. It is free and needs no account. On YouTube itself you can also open the description, scroll to the end and press "Show transcript".
Is this YouTube transcript tool free?
Yes. Reading the captions of a YouTube video is free and needs no sign-up. Only transcribing your own audio or video files with AI uses minutes from a SpeakToWords account, and the first 15 minutes of that are free too.
Why does a video have no transcript?
A transcript can only be read if the video has captions - written by the creator or generated automatically by YouTube. Very new videos, music videos, videos in languages YouTube does not auto-caption, and videos whose creator turned captions off have none. If you have the audio or video file, SpeakToWords can transcribe it with AI instead.
Are YouTube auto-generated captions accurate?
They are good on clear speech in major languages and weak on names, technical terms, accents and several people talking at once. They also have no punctuation or speaker names. For a quote you will publish, check it against the audio, or transcribe the file with an AI model that adds punctuation.
Can I download a YouTube transcript as a Word document or subtitles?
Download it as TXT and open it in Word or Google Docs, or as SRT, the standard subtitle format that video editors and YouTube Studio accept. Turn timestamps off first if you want plain paragraphs.
Can I get the transcript of a YouTube Short or a live stream?
Yes, as long as captions exist: paste the Shorts link or the link of a finished live stream. Live streams usually get captions a few hours after they end.
Does it work for videos in other languages?
Yes. Every caption language the video has is listed, including auto-generated ones, and you can switch between them.
Have the recording itself?
Upload audio or video and get a punctuated, timestamped transcript in 50+ languages. 15 minutes free, no card.