How to get the transcript of a YouTube video

There are three easy ways. The fastest is the box above — paste a link and you are done.

1. On YouTube itself

  1. Open the video on a computer and expand the description.
  2. Click Show transcript. The transcript opens next to the video — but you have to select and copy it by hand, and there is no download.

2. With this free tool

3. With the free browser extension

FAQ

Why can’t I see “Show transcript” on YouTube?

It only appears when the video has captions, and on mobile it is hidden in the description. Try the tool above on a computer.

Is it really free?

Yes. Getting, copying and downloading transcripts is free with no daily limit and no sign-up.

Why does a video say "no transcript"?

We show the captions YouTube has for the video — uploaded by the creator or generated automatically. If a video has neither (common for music-only clips, very new uploads or videos where the creator turned captions off), there is nothing to show yet.

Do you store my data?

No account, no tracking cookies. We only cache the public transcript of a video for a day so repeat requests load faster.