How to turn a YouTube video into text
You need a public YouTube video and a share link. You do not need a Google login on this site. The steps below match what the homepage tool does.
Copy a public YouTube URL
- Open the video on youtube.com or in the app.
- Copy the address bar, or tap Share → Copy link.
- Paste it into a private browser window. If YouTube asks you to log in before playback, the video is not public enough for this tool.
Useful shapes: youtube.com/watch?v=, youtu.be/, /shorts/, and /live/ VODs. Tracking parameters on the URL are fine. Playlists are ignored — only the video ID is used.
Run the transcript
- Paste the link on the YouTube to Transcript tool.
- Set the spoken language if you know it. Auto-detect is acceptable, not ideal.
- Leave the time range at 0–15 unless you need a later slice of a long video.
- Start with Auto — it tries YouTube captions first, then AI. Use Extract if you specifically want YouTube’s own captions. Use AI if those captions are missing or in the wrong language.
What you can do with the text
Copy it into notes or a CMS. Download TXT for documents. If you need timed captions in CapCut, Premiere, or Descript, use SRT. For a web player, use VTT. Read the YouTube to SRT guide if you are captioning a clip.
When it fails
The usual causes are a private or members-only video, an age gate that requires login, a live stream still in progress, or a clip with no speech. If you own the file, use Upload on the homepage and skip YouTube entirely.