How to get a YouTube transcript

To see a YouTube video's transcript on desktop, open the video, expand the description, scroll down and click Show transcript. The transcript opens beside the video with timestamps. For your own videos, you can download the full caption file from YouTube Studio > Subtitles.

On desktop

1. Open the video on youtube.com.
2. Click the description to expand it.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the description and click Show transcript.
4. The transcript panel opens with timestamps. Click any line to jump there.
5. To copy it, click the three dots at the top of the panel and Toggle timestamps off, then select and copy the text.

If there's no Show transcript button, the video has no captions (the creator turned them off, or YouTube couldn't generate them).

To turn a copied transcript into clean paragraphs or an SRT file, paste it into the YouTube transcript generator.

On mobile

1. Open the video in the YouTube app.
2. Tap the description, scroll down, and tap Show transcript.

Copying from the app is fiddly; use a desktop browser for long transcripts.

Download the transcript of your own video

1. Go to YouTube Studio > Subtitles.
2. Pick the video and the language.
3. Click the three dots next to the caption track and choose Download, then a format such as .srt or .txt.

For other people's videos, respect copyright: quoting a line with credit is fine, republishing the transcript is not.

What to do with a transcript of your own video

A transcript is raw material:

• Chapters. Scan for topic changes. See how to add chapters and timestamps.
• A better description. Your best lines make a stronger first sentence than a summary written from memory.
• Clips. Mark the moments that make sense on their own.
• A blog post, X thread or LinkedIn post. See content repurposing.

ClipFlame handles the clips from your video file: it transcribes the video, cuts the moments that stand alone, captions them and schedules them. The description and written posts are still yours to write from the transcript.

Common questions

Why is there no "Show transcript" button?

The video has no captions available, or you're on a layout where it's hidden. Try a desktop browser.

Can I get a transcript of a YouTube video without captions?

Not from YouTube. You'd need to transcribe the audio yourself, which for someone else's video needs their permission.

Are YouTube auto transcripts accurate?

Mostly, for clear speech. Names, jargon and numbers need checking.