5 Best Ways to Transcribe YouTube Videos to Text
Saving time and effort with Notta, starting from today!
Transcribing videos can be tedious and time-consuming. With the right tools, it can also be quick and painless. In this article, I'll highlight the best ways to transcribe videos on YouTube. This can help you save hours of valuable time while improving your personal brand.
Why transcribe YouTube videos?
There are many reasons to transcribe a YouTube video, especially as more people share their knowledge and opinions online in video format.
Business: Transcribing YouTube videos can help you highlight key points from meetings or presentations. You can focus on these insights to make informed decisions later.
Note-taking: If you’re a student, you may want to transcribe videos so you can enjoy them and have an AI take notes for you. If you're watching videos for training or advice, it’s helpful to have a transcript to review important details later or use as quick reminders.
Language Learning: A YouTube transcript generator can help people around the world learn a new language. For example, over 1.14 billion people speak English as their second language. Transcripts make it easier for learners to follow along with videos and improve their fluency.
Accessibility: Transcriptions are important for people with hearing difficulties. They also reflect accents and intonations from speakers around the world, which makes it easy for everyone to understand the message clearly.
Content Creation: You may be a YouTuber who wants to repurpose your videos into blog posts or add subtitles to reach new audiences across the globe.
You can watch the full video and read along on your favorite app or website to catch every detail. Alternatively, you can pair YouTube transcript generators with video editing tools to maximize the value of your content. With accurate subtitles and polished visuals, your videos become more accessible and engaging.
Transcribe audio/video to text in minutes
Notta can convert long YouTube videos into text with 98.86% accuracy in minutes. Focus on conversations, not manual note-taking.
To transcribe a video, you’ll need to use an extension, converter, or third-party tool. I spent hours researching the best methods to transcribe YouTube videos to text. Here are 5 ways you can quickly convert YouTube videos into text.
[Method 1] How to transcribe a YouTube video with built-in tool
Advantages:
It’s a quick way to get a YouTube video transcript.
Ability to skip to different parts of the transcription and play the audio.
Disadvantages:
Not very accurate
No ability to edit or highlight text
Not available for every video
First, we’ll look at how to transcribe a YouTube video to text using YouTube’s built-in transcript feature. While it isn’t perfect for every video, it works well enough in some cases. Here’s an example:
Step 1: Go to YouTube and click on the video you want to transcribe.
Step 2: Click on the ‘...’ on the bottom right of the video.
Step 3: Click ‘Show transcript’.
You will then see a transcript of the video appear on the right.
Nice work! Keep in mind that not every video on YouTube has a ‘Show transcript’ button. If the video you’re trying to transcribe doesn’t offer this option, try one of our other methods below.
[Method 2] How to transcribe a YouTube video with Google Docs
Advantages:
Ability to edit text after transcription.
Possible for many videos.
Disadvantages:
Very inaccurate and slow.
Requires a microphone and good sound to get a decent YouTube video transcript.
Requires lots of editing to get it right.
Now let's look at how to transcribe a YouTube video with Google Docs. If you don’t have a microphone built into your computer or laptop, you’ll need to use an external one.
The quality of your transcript will depend on 3 factors:
How close your microphone is to the speaker.
How clear the audio in the video is.
How fast Docs can keep up with the audio.
Step 1: Go to Google Docs and click on ‘Blank’.
Step 2: Click on ‘Tools’ on the toolbar, and you'll see ‘Voice typing’.
Step 3: Open the YouTube video you’d like to transcribe in a new browser window.
Step 4: Click the ‘Play’ button on the YouTube video. Then click the ‘Speak’ button in Google Docs to convert speech to text.
Step 5: Wait for Google Docs to transcribe the audio. The length of the video will determine how long it takes to transcribe the video.
You’ll need a fairly sophisticated mic setup to achieve a decent transcription with this method. If all you have are your laptop’s built-in speakers and microphone, you’ll be doing a lot of editing. Let’s look at some other methods that work more reliably.
[Method 3] How to transcribe a YouTube video with Notta Chrome Extension
Advantages:
Ability to skip to different parts of the transcription and play the audio.
Ability to edit text after transcription.
Does not require a microphone because it records directly from internal audio.
Possible for every video on YouTube.
Very accurate.
Disadvantages:
It may take a while to transcribe lengthy YouTube videos.
Here we’ll explain how to use the Notta extension in Google Chrome to transcribe a YouTube video. You do not need a microphone for this.
Step 1: First, you’ll need to download the Notta Chrome Extension. Click ‘Add to Chrome’.
Step 2: Click ‘Add Extension’. It will take you to a landing page for Notta, where you can learn more about how the extension works.
Step 3: Go to YouTube and find the video you want to transcribe. Click on the ‘Extensions’ button at the top of the page.
Step 4: Click on ‘Notta’ and pin it on Chrome's toolbar.
Step 5: Click ‘Log in’ > ‘Continue with Google’ and sign in with your Google account. You might need to do a quick registration with Notta, and then you’ll be taken straight to your dashboard.
Step 6: Go back to the video you want to transcribe on YouTube. Click on ‘Notta’ on the toolbar.
Step 7: Select your language and click ‘Start Recording’. Press ‘Play’ on the video.
If you click on the Notta Extension again, you can see it working.
Step 8: Press ‘Stop’ when the video is done.
Step 9: Go to your Notta dashboard and refresh the page. You will see your transcription pop up. The title will be the same as the YouTube video. Click on the record and you'll see the complete transcript.
Well done! Now you can see your transcription on your screen. You can click through different parts of the recording and replay the audio to review the text.
Transcription made easy with Notta
Fed up with slow documentation? With Notta, you can record and access error-free transcripts seamlessly synced across all your devices.
[Method 4] How to transcribe a YouTube video with Notta Web App
Advantages:
Extremely accurate with any kind of microphone.
Ability to skip to different parts of the transcription and play the audio.
Ability to edit text after transcription.
Possible for every video on YouTube.
Disadvantages:
It may take a while, depending on the length of the video.
Here we’ll take a look at how to use the Notta web app to transcribe a YouTube video live in just a few clicks. You can use the built-in microphone with your computer or laptop. You can also use an external microphone and position it next to your computer speakers.
Step 1: Find the video you want to transcribe. Open a new browser window and open your Notta Dashboard.
Step 2: Click ‘Record an Audio’ on your Notta Dashboard.
Step 3: Click ‘Play’ on the YouTube video. Watch as Notta transcribes the video in real-time.
Step 6: Press ‘Stop’ when the video is done. Well done! Notta has transcribed your YouTube video!
[Method 5] How to transcribe a YouTube video from its link
Advantages:
Extremely accurate and fast.
Ability to skip to different parts of the transcription and play the audio.
Ability to edit text after transcription.
Possible for every video on YouTube.
Disadvantages:
None.
In this method, we’ll cover how to use Notta’s web app to transcribe a YouTube video.
Step 1: Go to the Notta website and log in to your dashboard.
Step 2: Copy the YouTube video URL.
Step 3: Go back to your Notta dashboard and click ‘Import Files’ on the right.
Step 4: Simply paste the URL of the YouTube video and click "Upload".
Step 5: Close the upload window, and you will see your transcript on your dashboard. Click on your transcript.
Awesome! Now your YouTube transcript will show on your screen. You can click play on different parts of the transcript to hear it. You can edit and highlight, or delete text as you’d like.
How to get a transcript of a YouTube video on phones
Now that you’ve got a fresh transcript, you’ll probably want to take it with you to read and edit on the go. Here’s how to access it on your phone.
Step 1: Download the Notta app on your device from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
Step 2: Open the Notta app on your phone and log in to your account.
Step 3: You’ll see the transcripts that you created with the Notta web app or Notta Chrome Extension. Click on the transcript you want to view.
Great! Now you can view and edit your transcript from your phone.
How to download a YouTube transcript on your computer
Now you have your YouTube transcript available in Notta, but you can download it to your computer for further viewing and editing.
Step 1: Go to your Notta Dashboard. Click on the transcript you would like to download.
Step 2: Click ‘Export’.
Step 3: Choose the File format you’d like to download your transcript in. I also like to check ‘Include timestamps’ and ‘Include mark and notes’. Click ‘Confirm’.
Congrats! Now you have a copy of your YouTube transcript on your computer.
Generate transcripts for any YouTube video easily
The great thing about these methods is that they save valuable time, since you don’t have to spend hours on manual work to get accurate transcripts of YouTube content.
The best way to transcribe your YouTube video is to use Notta and transcribe videos from links. Notta can convert an hour of video content into text in just 5 minutes. If you value your time, a free YouTube transcript generator like Notta could be a real asset for your work.
Professional transcription — never miss a detail again
Notta accurately records every word and detail spoken during conversations in real-time with 98.86% accuracy.
FAQs
Is there a way to transcribe a YouTube video?
Yes, there are multiple ways to transcribe a YouTube video. The easiest way is to use the Notta web app. Simply paste the YouTube video URL into Notta’s app and click ‘Upload & transcribe.’ Notta will automatically generate a transcript in minutes. Once it's done, you can download an MP3 file of the audio or export it as a text file in multiple formats.
How do I transcribe a YouTube video for free?
You can transcribe a YouTube video for free with theNotta Chrome Extension. It's a great tool that allows you to record audio and transcribe YouTube videos in real-time straight from your browser. You can then share the transcript with others using a link or export it directly to your PC or phone.
Can I use ChatGPT to transcribe a video?
No, ChatGPT, the language model by OpenAI, can’t transcribe audio and video files into text. It does not have access to audio or video files. To use ChatGPT for transcription-related tasks, you need to convert the audio into text first using a separate transcription tool, and then ChatGPT can help you analyze or edit the written content.
Can I generate a summary for YouTube videos?
Yes, you can generate a summary for YouTube videos. Notta's user-friendly YouTube Video Summarizer tool transcribes the audio and generates concise summaries, making it easier to grasp the main points of the content. It's a great resource for getting straight to the point of a video without having to watch the whole thing.
