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A YouTube transcript generator turns a video's existing captions into copyable, searchable text with timestamps. Paste a YouTube link into TranscribeYouTube and the transcript appears in seconds, free and without an account. Export it as TXT, Markdown, JSON, SRT or VTT. It reads captions YouTube already holds; it does not transcribe audio.
Works with any video that has captions. 8 export formats: TXT, Markdown, JSON, SRT, VTT, CSV, Word and PDF. No account needed.
Supports youtube.com, youtu.be, and youtube.com/shorts URLs
Get your transcript in three simple steps. No technical knowledge required.
Copy a YouTube video link and paste it into the search box.
We fetch the video’s existing caption track and display it with timestamps, usually within a few seconds.
Download in any of the 8 formats or copy to clipboard.
Everything you need to work with YouTube transcripts efficiently.
Find specific moments in a video by searching the whole transcript, with matches highlighted.
Export as TXT, Markdown, JSON, SRT, VTT, CSV, Word (.doc) or PDF.
Switch between any caption track the video carries, including auto-generated captions.
Click any timestamp to jump directly to that moment in the video.
Download the transcript as TXT, Markdown, JSON, SRT, VTT, CSV, Word (.doc) or PDF, whichever fits the job.
Whether you're studying, creating content, or conducting research — we've got you covered.
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A simple, free YouTube transcript tool that tells you plainly what it can and cannot do.
All three read the same caption track. The difference is what you can do with it afterwards.
| TranscribeYouTube | YouTube's built-in panel | Browser extensions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account needed | No | No | Usually no, but the extension needs installing |
| Download as a file | Yes, 8 formats | No, copy-paste only | Varies by extension |
| Search inside the transcript | Yes | Only with the browser’s Find | Varies by extension |
| Timestamp links | Yes | Yes | Usually |
| Works in a mobile browser | Yes | Yes, via the YouTube app | Mostly no; mobile browsers rarely run extensions |
| Needs an install | No | No | Yes |
Copy the video’s URL from the address bar or the Share button, paste it into the box at the top of this page and select Generate Transcript. The transcript appears with a timestamp on every line. From there you can search it, copy it, or download it in one of 8 formats.
On desktop, open the video, select “...more” under the title to expand the description, then select “Show transcript”. In the mobile app, tap the description, scroll down and tap “Show transcript”. The button only appears on videos that have a caption track.
No. It does not listen to the audio or run speech recognition. It reads the caption track YouTube already stores for the video, either the uploader’s subtitles or YouTube’s automatic captions, and reformats it for reading, searching and export. A video with no captions returns nothing.
Exactly as accurate as the source captions, because nothing is re-transcribed. Subtitles written by the uploader are usually reliable and punctuated. YouTube’s automatic captions are weaker on names, jargon, overlapping speakers and strong accents, and their punctuation is inferred, so check any line you plan to quote.
Reading the public caption track of a public video is the same data YouTube shows in its own transcript panel, and this tool does not bypass private, unlisted or age-restricted videos. What you do with the text afterwards is governed by copyright as usual: quoting for study, research or commentary is generally fine; republishing a whole transcript as your own is not.
The tool is free, but it is not unlimited. Each IP address can make up to 5 requests a minute, 30 an hour and 100 a day. That is plenty for a person and too little for a scraper, which is the point. If you need more, the API is the right route.
Roughly 70 to 80 percent of requests for videos that have captions succeed on the first try. The rest fail because YouTube blocks caption requests from data-centre IP addresses, so we run the fetch from a residential connection, and that connection is occasionally throttled. When that happens you will see an error rather than a blank page; waiting a minute and trying again usually works.
Paste a link, read the captions as text. It's free, needs no account, and usually takes a few seconds.
Generate Your First TranscriptQuick answers about transcripts, captions, downloads, and limitations.
A YouTube transcript generator turns a video's existing caption track — the creator's uploaded subtitles or YouTube's own auto-generated captions — into readable, searchable text with timestamps. It reads captions YouTube already holds; it does not listen to the audio or run speech recognition, which is why results arrive in seconds.
Yes. This tool extracts auto-generated captions from YouTube videos when manual subtitles are not available.
Yes. If a video includes manually added subtitles by the creator, the transcript generator prioritizes them for higher accuracy.
Yes. You can generate YouTube transcripts for free without creating an account or installing any software. There are no hidden fees. Fair-use rate limits apply per IP address (5 requests a minute, 30 an hour, 100 a day) so that one person cannot crowd out everyone else.
Transcripts may be unavailable if captions are disabled by the uploader, the video is private, age-restricted, or blocked due to regional limitations.
Yes. You can copy or download the transcript for notes, research, content creation, or SEO workflows. Export formats are TXT, Markdown, JSON, SRT, VTT, CSV, Word and PDF.
Yes. The tool only accesses publicly available captions provided by YouTube and does not bypass private or restricted content.
Simply copy the YouTube video URL, paste it into our search box, and click 'Generate Transcript.' The transcript will appear within seconds, complete with timestamps.
Yes. After generating the transcript, click the Download button and select SRT format. This file can be used in video editing software or uploaded as subtitles.
Yes. Our tool supports regular YouTube videos, Shorts, and live stream recordings, as long as captions are available.
We support all languages that YouTube provides captions for — over 100 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, and more.
No. We do not store any video content or transcripts on our servers. All data is fetched directly from YouTube and displayed in your browser in real-time.
Yes. Our built-in search feature lets you find specific words or phrases within the transcript instantly, with highlighted matches and navigation.
You can export transcripts in TXT (plain text), Markdown, JSON (structured data), SRT and VTT (subtitle files with timing), CSV (one row per line, for spreadsheets), Word (.doc) and PDF.
YouTube's own panel (under '...more' in the description) shows the same caption text, but you cannot download it, search it, or get it as an SRT or VTT file. This tool reads the same caption track and adds search, timestamp links and file export. If the video has no captions, neither will show anything.