Launching November 2026

How to get a transcript of a YouTube video

You often need no extra tool at all. YouTube shows a transcript for many videos, and creators can download captions for their own uploads. Those two routes come first, then when it’s worth uploading your own video to Textspert.

Join the waitlistSee pricing

Transcribe your own video file

Launching November 2026

Join the waitlist

Way 1: YouTube’s Show transcript panel

Most videos with captions have a transcript built in. It works on any video, yours or someone else’s, and costs nothing. Labels move as YouTube updates its layout, so look for the closest wording.

  1. Open the video on a computer

    The panel is easiest to reach in a desktop browser. The phone app hides it elsewhere.

  2. Expand the description

    Click “more” under the video title.

  3. Click Show transcript

    The button sits near the bottom of the description. A panel of timestamped lines opens beside the video.

  4. Copy the text

    Hide timestamps from the panel’s menu for plain text, then select the lines and copy them.

No captions from the creator and no automatic ones from YouTube means no transcript to show. Automatic captions also skip speakers, and their punctuation is often thin.

Way 2: download captions for your own video

For a video you uploaded, YouTube Studio hands you the captions as a file. Open Studio, go to Subtitles, choose the video and language, and download from the options menu beside the track. SRT is usually one of the formats offered.

An SRT is full of numbers and timestamps. The SRT to text converter turns it into a plain document without uploading the file. For a player that wants WebVTT, use SRT to VTT.

Way 3: upload your own video to Textspert

Textspert transcribes files, not YouTube links. This route is for videos you made or hold the rights to, where you can get the original file from your camera, your editing software, or YouTube Studio’s Content page, where each of your videos has a Download option in its menu.

  • Speaker labels, up to 4 per file, which automatic captions don’t give you.
  • An editor where you click any word to hear it, fix names, and keep the timestamps lined up.
  • A one-click summary, chapters and action items, handy for a video description.
  • SRT or VTT to upload better captions back to YouTube, or DOCX and PDF for a written version.

Free files can be up to 60 minutes; paid plans and hour packs take videos up to 10 hours. Video to text lists every video format we read, and the subtitle generator covers caption settings like line length.

Videos that belong to someone else

For a video you didn’t make, stick with the Show transcript panel. Downloader sites that rip other people’s videos can break YouTube’s terms and the creator’s copyright, so we don’t recommend any. Only convert or transcribe videos you have the right to use. For someone else’s talk, ask the creator; many will share the original file or captions.

YouTube transcript questions

Can I paste a YouTube link into Textspert?

No. Links don’t import. Download your own video from YouTube Studio, or use the original file, and upload that.

Why don’t I see Show transcript on a video?

The video has no captions, or the button sits somewhere else on your device. Try a desktop browser.

Are YouTube’s automatic transcripts good enough?

For skimming, often yes. They don’t say who is talking, and names and technical words are a common miss.

Can I put a Textspert transcript back on YouTube as captions?

Yes. Export SRT or VTT from the editor and upload it in YouTube Studio under Subtitles.

Does Textspert translate video transcripts?

Yes, on Unlimited (fair use up to 720 hours a month). Translate a finished transcript into 100+ languages and download the translation as subtitles.

Tools for video and captions

Compare plans on the pricing page, or read our short privacy promises.

Join the waitlist

Launching November 2026. Be first to hear when Textspert opens.

We'll only email you about the launch. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy