5 free videos a dayNo sign-up · TXT, SRT, Markdown
YouTube Transcript Generator & Downloader
Extract a YouTube video's existing captions as clean text without timestamps, or keep the timings for SRT subtitles. Copy, download or prepare the text for ChatGPT, Claude and NotebookLM. No extension needed.
How to get the transcript of a YouTube video
- 1
Copy the video link
Open the video on YouTube and copy the address, or tap Share, then Copy link in the app. Shorts and youtu.be links work too.
- 2
Paste and read
Paste the link and press Get transcript. The text shows next to the video; tap any line to jump there.
- 3
Copy, download or send to AI
Copy the clean text, download TXT, SRT or Markdown, or send it to ChatGPT, Claude or NotebookLM with one click.
A transcript you can actually use
TubeKit extracts captions uploaded by a creator or generated by YouTube. It joins caption fragments into text you can read, search and reuse. It doesn't transcribe audio or create captions for videos that have none.
- Clean paragraphs
- Caption fragments are joined into paragraphs and tags like [Music] and [Applause] are removed. Switch to Lines for one caption per row.
- Follows the video
- The line being played is highlighted. Tap any line to jump to that moment in the video.
- TXT, SRT and Markdown
- Plain text with or without timestamps, SRT subtitles with exact timings, or Markdown with clickable timestamp links.
- Send to AI
- One click copies the transcript with a summary prompt and opens ChatGPT or Claude, or copies it ready for NotebookLM.
- Every caption language
- We pick your browser's language, then English, then the video's own. Switch to any other track, including auto-generated ones.
- Works on your phone
- No extension to install. Paste a link from the YouTube app and read or share the transcript on any device.
Turn YouTube videos into text you can use
Converting a YouTube video to text turns something you have to watch into text you can skim, search, quote and reuse.
- Study notes
- Read a lecture or tutorial at your own pace, highlight the key parts and keep the text with your notes.
- Quotes and research
- Search for the exact words, then copy the quote with its timestamp so you can link back to that moment.
- Blog posts and show notes
- Turn your own videos into articles, newsletters, captions or show notes without typing anything out.
- Summaries with AI
- Give the text to ChatGPT, Claude or NotebookLM to summarize a long video, ask questions about it or translate it.
Which transcript format should you download?
The same transcript comes in three formats. Pick the one that matches where the text is going.
| Format | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| TXT | Reading, notes and AI chats | Plain text in paragraphs or one caption per line. Turn on Timestamps to start each one with its time. |
| SRT | Subtitles and video editors | Numbered captions with exact start and end times, ready for players, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or CapCut. |
| Markdown | Notion, Obsidian and docs | The video title as a heading and a link to the video. With Timestamps on, each time links to that moment. |
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You get 5 transcripts a day for free, without an account, and opening a video you already opened today doesn't count again. Need more? Sign in for 20 free credits (1 credit = 1 video), or pick a plan.
No. There's no account and no browser extension. Paste a link and the transcript appears, on a computer or a phone.
The Reading view shows the transcript as paragraphs without timestamps, and Copy and Download TXT give you exactly that text. Turn on Timestamps if you want them back. For the opposite — a link that opens the video at one moment — use the YouTube Timestamp Link Generator.
We can only download captions that exist on YouTube: ones the creator uploaded or ones YouTube made automatically. Some creators turn captions off, and YouTube doesn't make automatic captions for every video, especially music, very new or very short videos. The YouTube Metadata Viewer tells you whether a video has captions at all, and which ones.
Any language the video has captions in, including auto-generated ones. We open your browser's language first, then English, then the video's own language. Use the language menu to switch.
Yes. Choose Download, then SRT. Each caption keeps its exact start and end time, so the file works in video editors and players.
Open the transcript, choose Send to AI and pick ChatGPT or Claude. We copy the transcript together with a summary prompt and open the app; paste it in and send.
Yes, with the Bulk Transcript Downloader: paste a playlist or channel link and export all the transcripts as one file or a ZIP.
On a computer, open the video, expand the description and press Show transcript; the transcript opens in a panel next to the video. In the YouTube app, open the description and tap Show transcript. YouTube shows a few seconds per line and makes the text hard to copy, so paste the link here when you want clean text or a file.
More free YouTube tools
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- YouTube Metadata ViewerExact upload time, stats and video details
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