Get the Transcript of a YouTube Video

How to Get the Transcript of a YouTube Video

If you're reading this, you're probably a busy person who doesn't have time to watch a long YouTube video.  With a transcript, you can skim through it for the key points without watching the whole YouTube video. Having this information at your fingertips can be invaluable. 

Fortunately, getting the transcript of a YouTube video couldn't be easier if you use our tips!

How to Get the Transcript of YouTube Videos on Desktop

Let's learn how to find and get the transcript of a YouTube video when you're using a web browser. Follow these simple steps to get started:

Step 1: Head to YouTube and choose the video

Go to YouTube in your web browser and search for the video that you'd like to have a transcript of.

Step 2: Expand the video description

Open the video and go to the video description. Click on the description and you will see the full version of the description.

Note: Click on the three dot to the right of the video title and you'll only see the option of "Report".

Expand the video description

Step 3: Click on “Show transcript”

Scroll down the page until you see "Show transcript" in the description. Click on "Show transcript" and you will see the YouTube transcript generator show up on the right-hand side of the video. The transcript will include timestamps of each sentence and a full written text of the YouTube video.

Click on “Show transcript”

Here's what the transcript of the YouTube video looks like on the web page. Click on any timestamp to skip to that part of the video.

see the transcript

Step 4: Select the language

Click the down arrow next to the language at the bottom. You can then select any available language of the transcript on the dropdown list.

Select the language

Step 5: Review and save the transcript

There are not many options to adjust the transcript in the YouTube built-in transcript generator. You can only toggle timestamps on and off. If you want to save the transcript for further review, you'll have to copy and paste the text into a Google Docs or Microsoft Word document. There isn't a direct download option on YouTube.

Note: It will require lots of editing to get a well-formatted transcript that’s ready for use.

Review and save the transcript

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How to Get the Transcript of YouTube Videos on Mobile

Getting a transcript of a YouTube video on an iPhone or Android device is quite similar to doing it on your computer. The only distinction is that you won't be able to directly copy and paste the transcript into a document. Here is a tutorial with additional information and step-by-step instructions.

Step 1: Find the YouTube video on the app

Find and open the video you want the transcript of on the YouTube app.

Find and open the video

Step 2: Click the “...More” button

Tap the "...More" underneath the video title to bring up the video details, including the number of likes, number of views, publish date, and a short description of the video.

Step 3: Click on “Show transcript”

Scroll down the description until you can see the ‘Show Transcript’ button, and tap it.

see the ‘Show Transcript’ button

Then you will then see the full transcript pop up under the video. Clicking any of the timestamps will jump to that part of the video.

Clicking any of the timestamps

Step 4: Select the language

Tap ‘More’ (‘...’) to see and select the available languages to translate your transcript. However, not all videos will have translated transcripts.

Get the Transcript of a YouTube Video

Step 5: Review and save the transcript

The YouTube app doesn't offer a direct download option for transcripts. Additionally, you are unable to copy and paste the text into another document for editing purposes. In that case, you have to either refer to the transcript as it is or access a computer to get the transcript text.

Simple Alternative for Getting Transcripts of YouTube Videos

If you’re involved in a lot of manual work to convert audio to text and ensure its accuracy, Notta AI is the answer. The platform allows you to transcribe and summarize videos with high accuracy in a matter of minutes. 

Notta is speech-to-text transcription software powered by AI. It effortlessly converts live or pre-recorded audio into accurate transcriptions and generates a summary, enabling users to conveniently read, highlight, copy, and share transcripts with team members.

Notta offers highly accurate transcription services in 58 languages, including English, German, Japanese, Hindi, etc.

With Notta to transcribe YouTube videos, you don’t have to do anything extra. All you need to do is: copy the YouTube video link and paste it into the "Import File" window of Notta. The transcription will be completed just in minutes.

Notta

Notta also has intelligent features like speaker differentiation and timestamps, so you can effortlessly label the different speakers within your video and keep synced with the video.

Once Notta has finished transcribing the video and has the transcript visible, you can download the entire text as an SRT, DOCX, PDF, or TXT file and save the audio as an MP3 file.

Unlock YouTube Insights

Whether it's a lecture, interview, or business meeting on YouTube - Notta's AI instantly recognizes and delivers a detailed word-for-word transcript within minutes. Aiding your note-taking and studying.

FAQs about YouTube Videos

Can I Download the YouTube Transcript?

No. There isn't a direct download option for YouTube transcripts. You can only view the auto-generated transcripts and subtitles of YouTube videos. Click 'Show Transcript' under the video's description. Copy the text from the transcript and paste it wherever you need to download it.

Are There Any Other Ways to Get YouTube Transcripts?

Not every YouTube video has a 'Show Transcript' button. With these types of videos, you'll have to use third-party services. Here you can use the Notta Chrome extension and live transcribe YouTube video. The extension transcribes any YouTube video in real time. Then you can export into many file types, including:

  • TXT

  • DOCX

  • PDF

  • SRT

  • XLSX

How Do I Copy a YouTube Transcript to Word?

To copy and paste the transcript of a YouTube video into Word, follow these steps:

1. Select the text in the transcript that you'd like to copy.

2. Press Control+C (Windows) or Command+C (Mac) to copy the text.

3. Go into Microsoft Word and press Control+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac) to paste into the document. Select 'Plain Text' to make the text available for formatting.

Conclusion

With these tips, you will find that getting a transcript of any YouTube video is relatively easy. It's also simple to share with others. You can even try different methods to transcribe a YouTube video. However, for this case, Notta can be a better choice for videos that don't have a transcript from the creator. Sign up for free to automatically generate transcriptions after recording!

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